Tales of the Beasts
by Nayaru
Summary: Xuri and his Beast friends adventure into an entirely new dimension, but there's a lot more adventure there than meets the eye! I guess you'll just have to read to find out how their journey starts.
1. Chapter 1

The lithe creature slunk through the shadows, sticking to the edges of the vast courtyard hidden by overhanging rocks. Its claws clicked gently on the hard black stone beneath it, but the sound was instantly lost in the clamor of hundreds of voices. Tail twitching, the creature settled for a moment, and, despite not having ears, listened intently. It was difficult to hear much of anything- every beast in the room seemed to be competing to see whose voice could be heard the clearest, even if they weren't talking to each other.

The creature rose its head ever so slightly, wishing it wasn't the only part of its body that was blinding white against everything else here. It was all so black, but such a beautiful, shimmering black hinted with seemingly impossible reflections of greens and blues. It gave an involuntary happy sigh.

Black floors. Black stalagmites jutted from the ground and black stalactites thrust imposingly from the ceiling. The ceiling itself was a paradox of its own. Without directly looking at it, it seemed to be reasonably low and smooth. Trying to directly look at it, however, would hurt your eyes as it seemingly went on forever, but also stopped just right above your head. The creature knew the ceiling was more likely to go on forever than stop at its head because it was aware that much larger beasts than itself inhabited this area. The carved tables and stools were made as the same obsidian colored material as everything else, as well and the stage and hollowed out stones used for drums (still a mystery as to how they made any sound) upon it.

Hoping it was mostly obscured from view, the beast scanned the area for its target. It should have been easy to spot, but amongst the clashing colors and moving figures, trying to focus on anything made it dizzy. But there- could it be? A glimpse of white not unlike its own?

A sudden burst of adrenaline and anxiety caused the lanky monster to glow, its wired body pushing with an electric hue. Stifling a frustrated growl at itself, it quickly shrank back to avoid the glow being seen. Most likely too late, anyways. Well, now that it knew who was here, he could sneak away and hopefully not be seen by-

"Xuri!" A voice squealed from above him. Sigh. The two loudest beasts he knew. A towering metallic arm rammed him squarely in the abdomen and tossed him onto an obsidian chair. With a groan, he melted into the stool in a moody mass of wires. As sweet and kind as the beautiful beast was, Skylar could still be a bit _over-_friendly.

He had known her since he had been introduced into Ultra Space; Xuri, Skylar and a few other Beasts had settled down in a small clearing along a wall pockmarked with holes where they could sleep or hide in case of hostiles. Eventually the group had broken up, and gone their separate ways after a few nasty scuffles and arguments.

Xuri lived on his own now, high in a gnarled, jutting rock formation that provided a quiet and isolated spot for him to leave. He rarely left the area, except at times like these where everyone's attention was required. Skylar sometimes lectured him on how if he didn't visit others more often, he'd forget what they look like.

The towering beast let out an annoyed huff, snapping him back to reality.

"I don't know what you think is going to happen to you, Xuri, but you need to stop being paranoid! It's no fun! You should be excited! It's our last gathering here! We're getting sent to somewhere new tomorrow! It'll be amazing." She gave him a gentle poke with one of her towering floating arms, but Xuri's attention was focused elsewhere. He sat up straighter and scanned the crowds again, trying to find the one monster here that might dare hurt him.

"Sorry Skylar," he mumbled apologetically. "I just feel so exposed and-" something sharp grazed his back, making him leap a few inches into the air.

"Don't worry, Sky," came a snicker from behind him. The miniature beast, Blade, flipped around to float at Skylar's shoulder, or at least where her neck began. "That's just how wire-beasts are. Lame and moody."

"I am NOT lame!" Xuri snapped, taking a swipe at him from across the table. His crackling claws, charged with electricity, missed Blade by a few centimeters.

"Xuri!" snapped Skylar, taken aback.

"Hey, don't get to hung up on this guy. Let's go somewhere else." Even without a mouth, the smirk on Blade's face was blatantly obvious. Skylar passed him with an apologetic yet slightly disappointed frown. Xuri bristled at the towering and tiny beasts as they wandered into the throng of others. After a moment, his anger turned to disappointment.

He wished he could hang out with Skylar more, but she always caught him in a bad mood or when she was with Blade. This was also most likely the last time he'd see either of them, since tomorrow all beasts would be sorted into groups and sent through portals to inhabit new lands. He slumped down on the now empty table.

"Yikes," came a patronizing voice behind him- again. He turned, ready to swipe that smirk off Blade's face with copper claws, but instead, a small purple beast stood holding a black tray.

"Oh," he muttered, turning away.

"Don't worry," she said matter-of-factly, floating around to the table and putting down a cup of shimmering liquid. "The cute ones are always the hardest to get." Xuri could feel color rising to his face, faint light blushing under his sharp exterior.

"Wait, I don't- like, _like- _I just-" But he was almost too flustered to respond. The tiny beast grinned and patted him on the arm.

"Better luck next time, champ," she giggled, winking before turning away into the crowd to hand out other drinks. Xuri wasn't sure how much more of this he could stand. Pushing himself up from the stool, he turned back towards one of the narrow paths leading deeper into the endless caverns, to his modest home. As he plodded away, he was almost certain he could feel the eyes of Skylar and Blade watching him leave.

"Hey!" shouted a cheerful voice, breaking his thoughts. A floating beast with a bowl shaped head and tentacles was heading for him.

"Not now, Symphony," he growled.

"Alright, bad time, I get it," the beast reasoned, treading air and putting up two tentacles in surrender. "I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?" Xuri chose not to answer, though the guilt flowed through his wires, almost as overpowering as the literal electricity. Now he could feel multiple stares watch him go. An hollow was worming its way through his chest from the inside out. If this was the last time he saw them, it would be ending on a bad note. They'd probably have forgot about him after a while anyways, though.

Xuri hoped in whatever place he got transferred to, not everything would hate him like it did here. Maybe a place where everyone was quiet and didn't like boasting and choosing bad times to try and talk to him. He paused for a moment and looked around. This would be one of the last times he ever saw this place. No matter how hard he tried, Xuri couldn't imagine anything other than gleaming, black stone.

With a growl that was more of a yawn, he turned and started moving again, lost in thought. He walked until the noises and lights of the gathering faded, then turned down a more abandoned looking path and lunged upwards onto a twisting piece of jet-black rock, digging in with his claws until he reached high enough where no one could see him. With a grunt, he pulled himself into his tiny hiding place. Settling down in the bowl-shaped dent just large enough for a Xurkitree, he stared out over the endless expanse of black.

"Xuri?" A voice came after some time. Xuri quickly lowered himself enough to be hidden. Peeking out, he could see Skylar just a few heads below him. He yanked himself back before she could catch a glimpse of him.

"I… I don't blame you for lashing out, or being anxious, or any of that. We're just really different, but I didn't want to you to think I blame you. Er, because I don't." Noise below as if she was shifting uncertainly. "Blade can be mean sometimes, but he means well." Xuri help back a snort of contempt.

Skylar sighed. "Xuri, I hope you fare well in your new home. Maybe we'll even see each other. How exciting would that be?" With a small smile, she turned and began to move away.

Xuri waited until she was out of hearing distance to whisper, "Thank you," under his breath. Skylar paused.

"You're welcome."

With those small words, Xuri found it easier to sleep that night.


	2. Chapter 2

"Xuri!" called a distant voice. Xuri's tail flicked in response, still mostly asleep. "Xuri! Get over here!" the voice called again. Xuri groaned, fading in and out of sleep. Suddenly, the voice was right next to him. As in ear-deafeningly close. "XURI!"

"Wah!" Xuri's head just about scraped the ceiling.

Groaning, he rolled over to see Symphony waving his tentacles frantically. "Come on! We're going to get left behind! Skylar wouldn't let us leave without you!"

"Wha…" Xuri tried to shake the cloudiness of sleep from his head. "Oh! That's right!" It was all coming back to him now. Today was the day all Beasts in the surrounding area would be organized into groups and sent somewhere new, through a number of organized wormholes. Xuri had never actually stopped to ponder how exactly you organize a group of wormholes, but it wasn't something to worry about now.

Some theorized that splitting everybody up and distributing to different dimensions would hopefully lead to a more or less populated area in Ultra Space, but others speculated it was an entirely new dimension. Nobody knew for certain. The mere thought of leaving sent a shock of excitement through him. His wire bands pulsed.

"Okay, great, no time for reminiscing! Skylar and Blade are waiting for us!" Symphony said enthusiastically. Xuri nodded and swung a limb over his sleeping spot, using his claws for leverage to slide down the formation. Looking back up at it, he found it bittersweet that it was the last time he'd see this spot. It was a nice, spot of solitude he hoped he wouldn't end up missing. "What did I _just say?!_" cried Symphony, wrapped a tentacle around Xuri's arm and dragging him away.

The clearing was even more crowded than it had been during the 'party' last night. Skylar and Blade weren't easy to miss- Skylar's towering figure was at least twice as tall as everyone else there.

All around Xuri and Symphony, smaller beasts darted through everyone's legs making for the closest area to the stage, while larger ones shouldered others out of the way. On the aforementioned stage which was a flat surface of rock rising up slightly from the back wall, the faint glow of wormholes lit the dark rock with an eerie glow.

A few of the bustling beasts looked vaguely familiar- the hulking red shape and thin white one near Skylar Xuri had definitely met- while others didn't register in his mind in the slightest. Maybe Skylar was right- hiding in a rock all the time dulled his senses. Eventually, Xuri and Symphony shoved their way through the crowd to the other two.

"There you are!" Skylar called with relief. "Look! We've found some old friends! Remember Gary and Lorelei? They lived in our little group in the very beginning."

"Hey, Xuri, my man! Long time no see!" Gary yelled in an unnecessarily loud voice, grabbing Xuri's claws and shaking them roughly.

"Er, you too," Xuri groaned as he tried to unbend his metallic claws.

Gary turned and gave Symphony a 'fist bump' despite the lack of fists on the latter beast. He was quite a thing to behold- his skin seemed almost translucent, showing the red liquid substance bubbling underneath, and the four powerful legs made him seem only more daunting. Although he wasn't quite as tall as Xuri, he was easily three times stronger.

Lorelei, on the other hand, looked extremely delicate with her small arms wrapped around just one of Gary's. Her antennae occasionally flicked in one direction or the other, displaying how uninterested she was. She moved her other hand up every so often to mess with her long, pale, shell-like hair.

"There's someone else, too!" Added Skylar. "Blitz thinks you two might be acquainted, Xuri."

A towering monster previously hidden by the shadows of the courtyard stepped forward and looked over Xuri. It took all Xuri's strength not to take an involuntary step back. The monster was one of the only to dwarf Skylar, even without reaching her height. Blitz had two pairs of monstrous pincers; the larger could easily snap even something the size of Xuri while the other pair was too short to do much harm unless any theoretical fight was closer range. On his body, a gargantuan mouth opened up in the middle of his stomach. He appeared to have a head, but also eyes above the mouth on his stomach, so Xuri was unsure where to look.

After a few more seconds under the icy stare, the beast let out a guttural growl. "We haven't." Blitz retreated back into the crowd, casting Xuri one last look.

Xuri let out a heavy breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"Geez," muttered Symphony, watching the receding tail of the dragon nearly slam into another beast's head. "Not one for talking, eh?"

Skylar frowned. "I guess he was thinking of someone else. Well, why don't we-" Before she could finish, a huge _BOOM _resonated through the clearing. Every beast looked up towards and elevated part of the open space, where and elderly beast who looked nearly identical to Lusa stood.

"Attention! I need your attention!" she rasped hoarsely. The chatter barely receded.

"Aye! SHADDAP!" roared someone. The talking lessened considerably. The beast onstage nodded her head in the direction of the shout before continuing.

"Today is the day we will leave the Ultra Space. I request everybody keep quiet while I call names for the groups organized." Everybody muttered in understanding. "I hope you all got your goodbyes in, since you're now going to stay with who you've been assigned to. First Group!" she yelled. Everybody shifted in excitement now, glancing at one another, whispering what they hoped wouldn't be last goodbyes. "Lillian, Frank, Shock, Fang, Firework and Darkheart, you'll have a relatively small group. Step up if you hear your name called!"

The first group stood and waved to the huge crowd before turning and leaping into the portal. That one flickered out, collapsing in on itself in that instant as new one opened in its place. Xuri could practically feel the excitement and tension in the air.

He was bored by the time the second group was called. He could see the faint violet glow of the portals to their new homes from the other side of the stage, but not close enough to even get a glimpse of what was on their other sides. His gaze wandered around the crowd, but he didn't see anyone else he recognized, except for a flash of purple that might have been the waitress from before. He tried for a while to scuff the ground with the nails on his feet, but he couldn't make a dent. He was nearly drifting off by the time he heard a familiar name being called.

"Skylar! You'll be the first of this group."

"Oh!" she said, shaking herself as if she had also been falling asleep. Xuri gave a hum of amusement, but it was quickly overruled by a wave of sadness. Everyone made way for the giantess as she shuffled through the crowd.

Only then did Xuri realize Blade was even there. He looked so small and helpless without her- he didn't have anyone to float around or make crude comments to. He even seemed a bit _afraid, _if that was possible for the blustery monster. Xuri caught himself feeling a bit of pity, but quickly pushed it away and instead paid close attention to this group. He hoped whoever Skylar got stuck with were nice enough. It was the least she deserved.

"Next, Symphony!"

"Oh." Symphony's exclamation was more disappointed than excited. He turned to Xuri. "I guess... this is goodbye," he sighed, a hint of sadness in his voice.

Pity resurfaced in Xuri's gut. Symphony and Xuri had always been close friends- and Symphony, being rather social, had always stuck close. "I'll miss you lots, Symphony. You were a good friend even when I wasn't."

"Thanks, Xuri," he said with a tinge of bittersweetness and gave him a final squeeze. Xuri was feeling a little down himself as his closest friend drifted away.

_Well, even if they're not totally ideal, at least I have- _

"Blade!" the tiny beast immediately perked up and gave Xuri a faceless smirk.

_Or not. _Now Xuri stood alone, everyone he knew already up on the platform. Disappointment surged through him, and he resisted the urge to snarl at the smug little monster. He hadn't been acting so stuck up a few moments ago.

But now hope was fading fast. There was no way he'd get picked, with so few spots left in that group.

"Blitz!" The colossal beast they'd encountered before stomped through the crowd up to the front, probably flattening those who couldn't get out of the way in time. Nervous energy bounced around inside him and Xuri hoped he'd leave the others alone.

A few more names got called, but he had drifted off into a daydream where they forgot to put him in a group and he was left all alone in Ultra Space to clean up everyone's garbage when-

"Xuri!" His head snapped up in shock.

Symphony waved excitedly, performing a silent cheer, and Skylar beamed, although Blade looked slightly disappointed. Xuri hurried through the crowd, stepping on a couple tails and paws in the process and scrambled onto the platform up next to them.

"This is going to be great!" whispered Symphony, his excitement bubbling over and mixing with Xuri's. "I can't believe we're all together!"

"Shush, you two!" hissed Blade. "I'm trying to hear who's our last group member."

There was beat of silence before the name was called.

"Xeron."


	3. Chapter 3

"Xeron!"

Xuri suddenly could feel the anxiety rising in his chest. The name had triggered some kind primordial instinct, like the adrenaline of a nightmare. He clenched his claws together, sending an unintentional spark off him onto the ground with a slight _pop._

Skylar, Blade and Symphony all turned sharply towards him. Skylar immediately caught wind of his urgency.

"Come here, Xuri! You can see into the portal way better from my vantage point!" she called quietly to him in a fake cheery tone. Xuri quickly clawed his way up one of her giant arms, ignoring Blade's suspicious glare.

Once he had reached her head, she murmured in a quiet voice to him."That's who you're worried about, isn't it? That's who you were afraid of yesterday."

He murmured something unintelligible, scanning the crowd for movement. He hadn't even known what he was so worried about every time all the beasts were gathered until he'd heard that name. Xuri wanted to protest that he wasn't _afraid, _but there were more important matters.

Xeron was emerging from the crowd.

He was nearly identical to Xuri, having the same flowing, wiry body and sharp, glowing face, only more imposing. His claws had been sharpened to points, and every so often his three pronged tail sparked dangerously. It was as if he was letting off excess electricity, like the power needed an outlet. He dragged his claws on the ground, where they left the scratch marks Xuri had never been able to achieve.

Skylar leaned in again. "I think I get it. He's of your kind, and because of just how blatantly aggressive he is, you feel threatened. Right?" Xuri shook his head. As much as he hated to admit it, that's probably what it was.

Maybe his senses _weren't _as dulled as he thought they were. Had he really been able to sense a threatening presence like Xeron? If so, it was for good reason. He'd have to be careful not to cross territories with the beast. That might not end well.

A faint memory bubbled to the surface of his mind. He could only remember encountering Xeron once, when everybody had camped out in a small clearing before separating, but Xeron had seemed largely uninterested. He hadn't even looked in Xuri's direction. But now felt different. Malice hung in the air. Xuri sighed.

"Probably," he muttered to Skylar and slid back down, next to Symphony. The beast was oblivious as ever, and merely asked,

"So, does it look cool?"

"Er-" Xuri realized he hadn't looked down the portal the entire time. "Uh, yeah. Lots of colors," he added, keeping his limbs crossed that it wasn't monochromatic where they were headed.

"Awesome!" Symphony exclaimed. "I can't wait!"

The elderly beast in charge called for order again.

"Looks like you won't have to," Xuri joked weakly.

He found himself hoping he and Symphony might land together somewhere. It was nice to imagine them relaxing somewhere soft and colorful, trying whatever new foods existed in their soon to be new home and maybe even meeting new friends. Xuri hadn't found himself thinking that positively in a long time. Hopefully it wasn't false hope.

This new place, whatever it might be, felt like it was going to be a good and long needed change of scenery.

What about Skylar? She was such a kind and beautiful soul, but with Blade following her around they would probably be unbearable to live with. Then again, maybe they'd end up getting separated. He'd count on that. Xuri found himself not-so-guiltily wishing that maybe Blade _hadn't _been called to their group. But they all had been warned they would most likely be separated when going through the portals. They all might land a good distance away from one another, but still within a distance that they'd be able to find each other.

Xuri was jarred out of his daydreams but another harsh yell from the elder as she tried quieting down the remaining, restless beasts. "Bid farewell to these you see, for you may never see them again!"

The thought made Xuri shudder a little, despite not even knowing the beasts in the audience. He had a feeling they felt the same way, because most goodbyes weren't even aimed in his direction except for a few polite waves from those who noticed that no one else was wishing him a good journey.

The group turned towards the elderly beast. She nodded, her antennae bobbing, and waved them away with a delicate hand.

All of Xuri's early worries about Xeron evaporated.

_This is it!_ The group turned again, this time towards the portal. Though you could nearly feel the excitement crackling in the air, everybody seemed rather hesitant. Looking up and down the line, Xuri noticed that even Xeron and Blitz weren't moving forward. _Well, somebody has to do it. _

He took a deep breath and put one foot forward, barely hesitating before breaking into a dash. He heard heavy footsteps behind him, signalling the others were following. He heard laughing and whoops of excitement. The rim of the portal appeared ever closer. Steeling himself to jump, he was barely aware of his feet leaving the ground.

He could feel the spacial shift and he leapt through the portal. The whole world seemed to flip upside down. Xuri was suddenly having regrets about going first, headfirst, through. Suddenly, something was visible again.

Colors. As he fell to the earth below, Xuri felt as if his senses were being assaulted. There was blue everywhere, to start with; not just glimpses of it like when it appeared in flashes if you looked at the obsidian black rocks from the right angle. There also appeared to be four land masses dotted in the blue- all of them were covered in spectacular colors he had only ever known because of some of the more colorful beasts- except these were amplified by thousands. Striking reds, cool greens, jarring yellows and hints of soothing purple on scales he'd never seen before.

The ground was rushing up faster and faster. Xuri had been so caught up in the beautiful scenery he had not at all be prepared. Panicked, he tried to swing his legs under him, but not in time.

Rushing forward there was gray and green and brown and blue- then there was nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

Akala Island was in chaos, like most of Alola. Humans and others alike had watched the giant crack open up in the sky as monsters poured out of it. Terrified parents herded children inside, while curious and brave trainers spilt up to search the islands for these mysterious creatures, tailed by their loyal partners and closest friends.

Xuri, however, was unaware of any of this as he lay half-conscious on the ground, everything still blurring around him as he sat up dizzily.

_What just happened? _He looked back and forth. To one side lay a barricade of brown and green. The brown stood unmoving as the black rock of Ultra Space, but the green swayed and moved with the air. _Is the Green alive? Why is air moving so much?!_

Bewildered and a bit nervous, Xuri scooted back a little bit. If the Green was alive, it didn't appear hostile, but he couldn't be certain. Turning back the other way, Xuri saw more brown, but it was different than the one on his other side. This was just rock. However, brown rock still seemed incredibly odd to Xuri. There was almost no trace of black whatsoever, except for the condescending figure coiled behind him-

Xuri gasped and stumbled to his feet. Out of every beast who had descended with him, it had to be him. The name Xuri had heard far to often in such a short period of time-

Xeron.

The imposing beast slid down from his perch on a large boulder until he stood directly in front of him. It took all Xuri's strength not to take a step back. Though they were nearly the same height, that way Xeron held himself made him seem to tower over him.

Xeron snorted. "As I thought," he growled. "You're weak. Useless, hopeless. You'll be lucky if the environment itself doesn't kill you before the monsters here do."

Despite himself, Xuri felt a little hurt. It appeared that he wasn't even worth the other beast's time as Xeron turned and stalked away, intentionally scratching the prongs of his tail against Xuri. In some sudden burst of courage and annoyance, he started to follow.

Xeron whipped around faster than Xuri could even see.

"Do _not_ follow me," he snarled. "Unless you'd like to end up shredded." he held out his sharpened claws in front of Xuri's chest and mimicked slicing through it. That was enough to keep him put. Something told him from their limited time together that Xeron wasn't type to bluff.

Loud noises rang out from farther down the path. Both beasts turned sharply. Xuri paused, trying to get a good look at whatever was coming.

It appeared to be a gaggle of some kind of creatures, who stood on their hind legs not unlike him, but were much shorter and some stouter. He turned back to where Xeron had been standing, but he had already disappeared, nothing more than few telltale sparks to where he had gone.

Xuri looked around frantically, trying to find a way to escape. There was only one way left- through a browned tunnel. He was much too tall to squeeze through it, so he quickly vaulted over and onto the top of it continued to move into the heavy overgrowth.

Not long after, the tunnel abruptly ended. Xuri hopped down and glanced around. The color green still dominated. The ground held tinges of brown, and around him small blossoms of pink and red were reminiscent. The air felt heavy and wet. Some of the green appeared blackened and torn, as if a fight had raged on there recently.

Warily, Xuri turned the other way. He didn't need any more conflict than what had already happened today.

As he trailed farther away from the path, he became aware that he wasn't alone. There were many others here. He could feel them whispering above him, or crouching below him, but when he turned to look, it was eerily empty. Even in the bare rocks of Ultra Space, he'd never felt so exposed.

Picking up the pace, Xuri trotted towards and opening in the tall stalks of green. Only when he was there did it truly become quiet. No whispering. No rustling. Complete and utter silence.

Only after he thought he would burst from anticipation did a startling voice ring out.

"You have made a mistake coming here. You stink of aggression and otherworldly monsters. I have no tolerance for this. As the Totem, it is my duty to protect those who inhabit the Lush Jungle. I accept your challenge!"

Xuri gasped and stumbled back, swinging his head frantically in a fruitless attempt to get a glimpse of the voice's host.

"N-no! I don't want to fight! Please! I'm not-"

He could barely finish his sentence before a striking figure stepped out from the darkness. Long legs and elegant claws the length of their entire body, that could easily dice Xuri despite his height advantage. Glaring eyes and antennae not unlike those of Lorelei's, but thicker. Their pinks and greens seemed to blend into harmony with the forest around them.

"Too late," she snarled and lunged before Xuri could even tense a claw.

Barely scrambling out of the way, he turned to see she was already rushing towards him once more. At this point, it was apparent he was no match for her. He tried once again to spin out of the way. But her gaping claws nicked one of her legs. He could feeling it tingling before numbness began to spread.

Xuri cursed himself for not being more prepared. Did he just expect to wander into another creature's territory and it to be completely okay with it?

He shook himself and stood up straight. If this warrior wanted a fight, she'd have to get one. He bared his claws and lashed his tail, then tried to produce a threatening growl.

She stared up at him far above her, but it only made her angrier. With a huff and a stomp she quickly summoned Green from the surrounding brown stalks and hurled them in his direction. Xuri yelped as the slashed at him while he dove for cover as best he could, rolling behind a lump he could only assume was a boulder despite its lack of obsidian pigment. The feeling was faintly returning to his leg. He flinched and waited for his attacker to come barreling around and tear him to shreds.

But nothing happened.

Cautiously, Xuri peeked around the corner of the rock he'd taken refuge behind. She was gone. Bemused, he stepped out into the nearly blinding light coming from above. Suddenly, a hissing sound came from behind.

Whipping back, the creature now stood with her claws raised, light gathering between them. The beam began to surge higher and higher, until it towered about even him.

"I banish you from Lush Jungle," she snarled. "You will have the scars to prove your unworthiness!" The heavy beam came crashing towards him.

Fear stopped Xuri in his place, and without thinking, he covered his face and slammed the prongs of his tail into the ground, sending electricity pulsing. Just like that, the beam faltered and then dissolved. He slowly uncovered his face and looked towards the so-called Totem.

She was frozen, tensed up as if she had been paralyzed. He eyes were wide and staring right at him. Slowly, she fell to her knees, and then slumped forward onto the ground. Confused, Xuri looked back towards the ground and noticed his tail embedded deep within it. With a not-so-figurative shock he realized he must have electrocuted her without meaning to.

_Ohhhh no._ Hurrying over to her, he carefully brushed a claw against her side. She was still breathing, but was in a state of unconsciousness. Xuri looked around, but the area had seemingly emptied. He couldn't sense anyone else in the surrounding area.

What could he do? If she died, he'd surely have a whole clan of hostile creatures after him. She had held herself with high esteem- the others here probably did too. Anxiously turning in a circle, he decided it was the least he could do to stay with her until… _something _happened.

As Xuri sat and took in his surroundings, the sky began to darken. At first it was alarming, but above him it melted into pastel pinks and soothing yellows. Hypnotized, he barely noticed when beside him, pink and green claws stirred.

With a grunt, the creature next to him sat up and shook her head. Her eyes wandered one way, and then the other until they rested on Xuri. Pressing himself lower to the ground, he flinched and waited for her to leap upon him in a flurry of blades, but she seemed… defeated.

"Why are you still here?" she grumbled. "Do you want some sick prize? I'd rather keep my head attached to my shoulders." She stood up shakily. "I mean, you're obviously a beast meant for war. You're the strongest that has ever challenged me."

Xuri shook his head.

"No, I-" She cut him off again.

"Territory, food, just take it. I can't protect the jungle if I'm not alive."

Xuri flicked his tail in annoyance. "I'm trying to say-"

"I don't care," she snapped. "Just be kind to the residents."

"If you'd stop interrupting me, I'd like to say the only reason I'm still here was to make sure you were alive!" Xuri blurted. The Totem paused.

"Why would you do that?" she frowned.

Xuri paddled his feet awkwardly. "Well, y'see… I guess I'm not from here, and I wouldn't want any of your warriors chasing me down."

The creature cocked her head. "Where are you from? A different island? I've never seen anything like you. I guess Poni is still vastly unexplored, but…" she mused, turning away.

Xuri shook his head. "I came from up there," he explained, pointing to where the portal had opened. It was gone now, nothing but a faint shimmer. _At least I think I did, _he added internally.

Her eyes widened.

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah. My friends and I got separated on the way down, though." Xuri decided it was best to leave out the malicious possibly-murderer that was Xeron, not wanting to alarm her or send her into another flurry of claws and anger.

She paced slowly around his still-crouched form, observing carefully. "Well, you seem alright. I don't sense a bad aura." She spun on her heel to a stop in front of him. "I'm Lurantis. You?"

"Uh- Xuri," he muttered. Lurantis nodded and whispered his name under her breath as if trying to memorize it before looking back up at him.

"Are you hungry? You've obviously been pretty far."

Xuri shook his head.

Lurantis shrugged. "Okay, do you have any questions?"

He slowly spun around. "Where do I even start?" he groaned.

She laughed a little. "Well, tell me what you already know." She walked over and kicked a tuft of green growing out of the floor. "Stupid question, but do you have grass where you came from?"

Xuri shook his head again.

Lurantis seemed surprised. "Err, okay, what about trees? Rain? Bushes? Berries?"

He shook his head to each.

She frowned. "Looks like I've got some work to do, then."

They spent the rest of the night (Lurantis had to explain night and day, the Sun and Moon to him as Ultra Space was in some kind of perpetual stasis of black) talking about their homeworlds. Lurantis lost interest fairly quickly after Xuri explained his world was mostly black rock and darkness.

Her world, however, was vastly fascinating to him. Everything was living, even the grass below him. The sky even seemed to breathe, although Lurantis explained it as a phenomenon called 'wind.' Xuri was ever-so-fascinated with all these things. There were so many colors, so many breathtaking scenes. He listened in awe as she described beaches, oceans, forests, and even volcanoes ("Mountains that breathe _fire?_"). She seemed happy to have somebody to talk to and to teach.

The days crawled sluggishly by as their lessons continued, but Xuri didn't mind. Everyday was a new lesson- food, geography, and finally, the creatures that lived on Alola.

Lurantis described the two main races- humans and Pokemon. The humans were the bright clothed, small creatures that Xuri had seen his first day. There was some diversity in humans, but it dwarfed in comparison to that of the Pokemon. It was a bit like Xuri and his friends- they were all of one genus, but the species within it differed so greatly you wouldn't know unless you were told. There were far too many components for Xuri to memorize- he was lost after Lurantis had gone over just a few 'Types,' what the humans used to classify the many powers and breeds of Pokemon.

They discussed what type he most likely was- they came to settle on Steel or Electric but finally came to the conclusion he was a pure Electric. It was rather silly to speculate something that had no relevance to them, but fun nonetheless.

"Didn't you say you had friends that came with you?" Lurantis inquired. "We could try and decipher their Types."

Xuri liked that idea. "Well, my friend Skylar is really, really tall and pretty." Lurantis seemed to bristle a little. "She's gray and blue, and her arms hover at her sides. Is there a Type that's always tall?" Xuri continued.

She turned away for a moment and grumbled, "Dunno. Maybe Steel or something." Obviously he'd ruffled Lurantis a little, and it showed from her narrowed gaze to her twitching antennae. He dropped the topic.

That had been the only time they'd come close to an argument or more hostility. After that, everything had turned to smooth sailing (an island saying, according to Lurantis, though that didn't bring him any more insight) and he had pretty much forgotten about the incident.

They lounged in the jungle without interruption as Lurantis continued to teach him about the lands of Alola and beyond. Xuri was more contented lazing in the tallest trees of the jungle surrounded by floral scents and the quiet calls of surrounding Pokemon than he had ever been back home. In fact, here felt more at home than 'back home.'

It appeared that the gates to Xuri's golden days were opening. However, they wouldn't be closing behind him any time soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Xuri's claws clicked on the obsidian polished floors of Ultra Space. Everything was empty. He turned in a slow circle, gazing at the vastness of the courtyard. He hadn't realized how truly huge it was until it was completely deserted. Or was just a trick of the ever-shifting light?

Suddenly, something broke the quiet. It was barely a whisper, but enough to slice through the silence as clean as a knife.

"Xuri…" The voice, however distant, was recognizable as ever.

"Skylar?" She sounded distressed, wherever she was.

Xuri paused and tried to pinpoint where her voice was coming from. After a few moments, her voice cut through again.

"Xuri!" It was louder this time, causing him to pivot on his heel and hurry towards the source of the noise. He advanced with long, low strides, the only noise accompanying him now the scraping of his own claws on black floors.

Skylar's cry came again, causing him to pick up his pace. Finally, he stumbled out into a clearing that looked uncannily like where he had first lived in his time in this dimension.

In the middle of the clearing there rested the elegant giantess, but something was clearly wrong. Her giant steel arms were skewed on the ground, as if she didn't have the power to keep them afloat. She was yelling his name as loud as she could, and yet the noise around Xuri was muted and distorted.

He stood there, small and helpless, unable to move, to breathe, to yell back to her.

Suddenly, everything went dark. It was only him and Skylar, floating in true blackness.

"Xuri," she whispered one last time, but he could hear it as if she was right there next to him.

Her tears crackled with electricity.

A sharp pain landed on Xuri's tail.

"Ow!" he snarled. "What's the big-" he turned to see Lurantis standing over him, the soft glow of the morning sun illuminating her outline.

"Well," she started irritably, "somebody's been yelling your name like you're some kind of chosen one, and all you've been doing is snoozing your life away!"

"Wait-" Xuri scrambled to his feet.

Lurantis rolled her eyes. "Finally. Whoever it is, they're freaking out. You'd better tell them you're here."

But by the time she'd finished, he was already threading through the trees and out into the open air of Akala.

She watched him go, minorly bewildered. Who the heck would be yelling at this time of the morning? About _Xuri_ a traveler from another dimension, of all Pokemon? Lurantis frowned. There was slim chance it was anybody but… "Another traveler." She finished aloud, amazed at her stupidity. How could she have forgotten? Curiosity egged her own as she slipped through trees to see just who was in need of Xuri.

Xuri was momentarily blinded by the harsh sunlight that greeted him. It had been weeks of lounging in the jungle with Lurantis under the protective canopy of the leafy jungle trees, and even before that Ultra Space hadn't been much brighter.

_Ultra Space. _Xuri shivered a bit at the thought of his dream. But speaking of, if the yelling in his dream was only it mirroring real life, did that mean Skylar was here? His question was soon answered when the sun was momentarily blotted out by something huge, coming to land next him in the open field. Xuri backed away as the blues, greens and grays began to light down to form the shape of a familiar face. Thrilled to see another Ultra Beast for the first time in what felt like forever, he moved to talk but Skylar's booming voice quickly muted his.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" she roared. "I've been all over these islands looking for you ALL MORNING! You're lucky you showed up when you did because I was just about to keep looking elsewhere!"

Xuri stumbled further backwards at the absolute and crushing force in her voice. She was furious, and a furious thirty-foot-tall monster, regardless of how beautiful, was a terrifying one.

"Sk-Skylar," he managed to squeak. "What's w-wrong?"

She paused for a moment and took a deep breath, shaking her head as if to clear.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she addressed him curtly. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's just..." she finally made eye contact, but her eyes were filled with fear. "Xuri, they took him. The humans took Blade."

Xuri nearly reeled back a third time.

"But- how?!" From what Lurantis had told him, the creatures widely inhabiting the islands sounded rather harmless, aside from the fascination in capturing Pokemon and forcing them to do battle. But Lurantis had said it herself- the beasts were abnormally strong. How could Blade have been so stupid as to let his guard down?

"They threw some kind of capsule- thing- I don't know- at him, and he got trapped inside of it. I had been away, and arrived just as they were escaping. The humans seemed afraid of me, and they ran. I… I didn't want to badly hurt any of them, but I didn't know what to do. I let them get away. It's all my fault." Skylar hung her head in shame as best she could, once again on the verge of tears.

Xuri carefully approached her and rested gentle claws on one of her levitating arms, noting they still hummed with ancient energy unlike the dream.

"Sky, it wasn't your fault. You were right not to hurt the humans- with so many of them, they surely would've found a way to hunt you down." She seemed unconvinced.

Xuri took a breath. Was he really going to do this? When had Blade ever done anything for him? But seeing Skylar like this hurt him just as much. And why else had she come looking for him? Maybe this would finally settle differences.

"Skylar," he started. She turned to look down at him. "I'll… I'll help you get Blade back. We can start in the direction where you saw them escape." Her face lit up almost at once.

"Oh, Xuri! Thank you so much!" she cried, nearly crushing him in a gigantic hug.

"Yeah, no problem," he groaned, wondering how much more pressure his claws could take. She put back down and straightened him a bit.

"I know you and Blade aren't exactly besties, and I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. Promise."

Xuri sighed. "I know, but you don't have to worry about it. As much as I don't like Blade, it'd be rather cruel just to leave him. We won't worry about that now. Let's get moving."

"Wait!" an offended voice called out as Lurantis stumbled through the leafy foliage, shaking off a clinging vine as she advanced toward the clearing where they stood. "Where do you think you're going?! You're just _leaving _me?" she cried.

Skylar looked at Xuri. He winced. As guilty as he felt leaving his new friend, he needed to help Skylar. He wasn't sure anybody else could.

"Lurantis, I'm sorry. One of us is in trouble and they need help. I'll be back soon, alright?" _Hopefully_. He chose not to say that part out loud.

"No! You have to stay with me! Please-" she began to beg before catching sight of Skylar staring her down from above.

"We don't have time for this, I'm sorry. I'll bring him back as soon as I can." Her tone was gentle and sympathetic as she grabbed Xuri and draped him around her shoulders like some kind of monochrome lei. Lurantis bristled slightly at the action.

"I'm sorry, Lurantis," Xuri apologized again, feeling torn. "I'll be back soon. Promise." She only stood and watched with a mixed expression of awe and disdain and Skylar rose up and hovered a far enough distance away to be out of earshot.

"A little clingy, isn't she?" Skylar muttered, a tinge of amusement finally returning to her voice.

Xuri shrugged. "I honestly just think she's a little lonely. There aren't many creatures in that jungle who are as talkative as she is, and most of them don't talk at all. At least not to me," he mused under his breath.

And to an extent, that was true. But as Lurantis watched them ascend above the clouds, she did, in fact, feel a returning pang of loneliness, but also something else. She sighed and shook herself. She shouldn't be so selfish. If one of the beasts was truly in trouble, maybe she should of offered to try and help.

As she turned back into the jungle, her mind wandered back to one of her old friends who'd resided in the forest long ago, when they were still young and frankly a bit dumb: _That's Lurantis for you! She _only _ever chases tall boys._

If Sierra, who the humans referred to as Tsareena, was still living here, Lurantis would've attested that triple your height is a bit more than tall.

After pondering for just a moment longer, Xuri turned to look up at Skylar.

"So, which direction did they flee in? Can you remember, or tell from our angle?" She swiveled one way, and then the other to get her bearings in the air, causing Xuri to feel a bit nauseous.

"That way," Skylar pointed. He tried to follow where her arm was pointing, but all he could see were the calm waves of Alola's seemingly endless ocean. A sudden rumble caused him to squeeze himself a little tighter around her neck. "Hold on," she warned, and before he could protest they were roaring up, up and away faster than Xuri could track, until the edges of his vision began to tingle and everything snapped to black.

When Xuri finally came to, the sky was tinged with the orange blood of the setting sun, reflecting off the gentle waves surrounding them. Skylar had slowed considerably, causing him to realize he'd probably passed out from the incredibly fast change in altitude.

His first try at producing sound only came out as a groan.

He felt Skylar jump a little at the noise. "Oh! You finally woke up! Sorry, I guess I should've given you a better warning," she laughed apologetically.

He coughed a little and tried again. "No, don't worry about it," he reassured her as he looked around, try to pick out anything different amongst the seemingly endless waves. "Where are we? Shouldn't we be there by now?" It had been close to midday when Skylar had picked him up, probably a little later. That meant they'd been flying around for close to half a day.

"Well, you see," Skylar started, embarrassed, "I accidentally flew us in the wrong direction for a while before realizing we weren't going the right way…" she trailed off. "But I know we're going in the right way now!"

Sure enough, within a few minutes a giant white structure began to materialize on the horizon before them.

"That's it!" she called down to him. From the outside, it looked rather deserted.

"Are you sure?" he called back.

She nodded. "It has to be. They all looked exactly like their structure does. Plus, they went away over the water. This is the only other thing I've seen besides the, um..."

"The islands?"

"Oh. Is that what they're called?"

Xuri paused for a moment, lost in concerned thought.

"So, uh, what's the plan?" Skylar grinned.

"Don't worry, I've got it all figured out. I'll drop you down, since I'm too big to get inside without causing serious damage. Search for Blade and find him as fast as you can- it'll probably be the most heavily guarded area. At least I'd guess from how intent they were on taking him. I'll be circling the place waiting for you two.

You ready?" While she'd been talking, they had gotten close enough for Xuri to leap.

He took a deep breath, shuddered a bit and nodded.

"Good luck!" she yelled as he snaked from around her neck and landed squarely with a _thud_ against the white surface, nearly being blown away as Skylar roared past him.

For a second he hesitated, trying to form a plan in his head but almost immediately giving up. It would be better to do this without much thought.

_In and out as fast as I possibly can. Don't think, just move. _

Shaking himself, he dashed forward and ducked down through the wide, open aired entrance. He straightened and looked around, dazed, and the bemusing machines and white-suited people. _Wow! _

Everything was so… _uniform_. White everywhere, even upon the skin of the humans. They all look exactly the same. A few of them were conversing in easy tones, while other walked with Pokemon, absently stroking their heads or talking to them in stern voices. Beyond was another open area- more white paths and the blues and greens of water and vegetation. Pokemon lounged there freely. In that second, he concluded Blade wouldn't be there. He might bluff lots, but he could easily take a human, and Xuri was sure of that. He observed all that calm for for barely a moment before the order dissipated.

Within seconds, an ear splitting scream rang out from below him. As soon as they'd noticed Xuri, the humans were thrown into chaos, some running and others pointing at him and shouting at Pokemon emerging from bright flashes of light. Obviously, their uniform appearance had not trained them to react uniformly to such events like his sudden appearance.

A plume of flame shot up across the hall. From it, a snarling orange dog-beast launched itself at him. Its eyes were filled with determination and controlled ferocity, but it seemed devoid of any malice or anger. He twisted awkwardly and narrowly avoid the flaming fangs.

Xuri found that interesting- why else would it attack but to protect itself? He wasn't doing any harm. He knew quickly it must because of the humans. Xuri had always assumed that such a strong devotion to the puny creatures was some sort of joke between him and Lurantis. Perhaps that's why he hadn't felt too concerned about Blade's disappearance.

But now, Xuri shook himself and decided to follow the largest group of humans fleeing before more Pokemon were upon him. The disappeared into the ground for a moment on some kind of moving floor tile plunged downward, but he quickly scrambled forward, bowling over humans and Pokemon alike to follow them down the hole. He grabbed ahold of the pole it was tethered too, sending a small shower of sparks and thumping heavily onto the ground, grunting as his feet slammed onto the floor at an uncomfortable angle.

He was quickly greeted by threatening looking humans in strange masks and formidable Pokemon blocking the way. Looking over their heads and beyond them, he noticed another human rushing through one of the doors, slamming it behind them with a sharp snap. Something from that area radiated otherworldly powers, which could only mean an otherworldly beast was being kept within.

Xuri hissed, the sound ringing like pinging electricity. It only seemed to rile up the human's Pokemon more. Two more Pokemon ran forward. One was a bright splash of orange and red. Its head and tail seemed to be flaming slightly. The other had a similar build, but yellows and blacks twisted into jagged bolts along its fur. It snarled and brought its fist together, creating a weak crackle of electricity. At the cry of the humans, both roared and let loose jets of fire and lightning.

Twisting to dodge the fiery breath and blinding beams, Xuri leapt over them, knocking one human to the ground on accident with a wayward lash of his tail. He grabbed the sealed entrance's handle and tried to rip it open, tearing off the entire door in the process.

Inside, a cowering human crouched holding a blue orb. Some instinct clicked in Xuri- _that _was what he wanted. The human cried out as he put one foot forward and hurled the orb. However, the human had overshot its toss and the ball was on a direct collision course with him.

On instinct, Xuri's tailed whipped out and met the ball with a startling _crack. _A sudden light filled the room for a split second, momentarily blinding him, and upon its fading there floated Blade, looking dazed and confused but still somehow as crabby as ever.

"Wh-where am I?" He groaned, then caught sight of Xuri. "What?! Why are _you_ here?!"

"No time to explain!" Xuri yelped as something hot caught the back of his foot from outside. Now there were even more Pokemon, floating in the air and burrowing out of the ground.

"We have to meet Skylar! Come on!"

At the mention of the gentle giantess, Blade perked up and quickly flew after Xuri, barely dodging another blast of scalding water. Exasperated by his sluggishness, Xuri hooked one of the prongs of his tail onto Blade and dragged him towards the top floor once again. Not bothering to try and climb the pole again, he hauled himself ungracefully through the opening. He was moving faster than he ever had before through the turmoil, with Pokemon on their tail and screaming humans chasing after them.

Everything began to move in slow motion as Xuri reached the edge of the balcony. He whipped around to see the Pokemon slowly forming a semicircle around him. On the other side was nothing but empty air and then the deep blue sea. He was cornered.

Suddenly, Skylar's voice pierced through the deafening noise. "JUMP!"

He had to trust her, or he'd be dead- or worse, captured and forced to fight. Steeling himself, he moved backwards to leap, but instead tripped over the fence on the balcony and feel towards the sea.

And then Skylar was there, catching him with her giant arms and slinging them around her neck again. Everyone was too in shock to say a word as they thundered off towards the sunset, away from the chaos and terror they had both inspired and created.


	6. Chapter 6

The silence still carried on even after the giant building was no longer in sight, save for the small bit of explaining Xuri and Skylar had done to Blade about what had happened.

Xuri shifted his position around Skylar's thin, tall neck to be able to see out into the twilight sky. Her hair had shielded him and Blade from the cold and violent winds, but it also meant there wasn't much to see.

Watching the stars smudge lazily across the sky made him think of Lurantis for some reason. How was she doing? Probably still upset, or at least annoyed that he'd kind of left without as much as a warning. Even though it had been less than an entire day, he still felt like it had been much longer. They'd spent so many days lazing in the jungle and discussing everything and nothing until late into the night that it felt odd to be separated.

"Land there," Blade's demanding voice rang out suddenly, making Xuri jump a little. It was shocking how loud such a tiny creature could be.

He squinted down at the red-brown rocks and brittle, dry grasses. "Why there?" He shot back. "That's not where I came from." The jungle was in sight now, it was on this island, but it was still a good ways away.

"Because, _Xuri," _Blade snapped, "Skylar needs to rest."

Xuri looked back up to her. She _did_ look tired, and, Xuri realized, she'd been flying almost all day. She was too tired to even stop the two's bickering.

"Fine," he growled, hating to admit Blade was right.

Skylar descended with a heavy _thump _on the rock, bouncing Xuri with an ungraceful leap almost face first onto the ground. He took a minute to stretch his various cramped and aching limbs before making his way over to a tiny spring with warm water bubbling from a crack in the stone wall. Skylar drank some too, and Blade ventured a little farther to see if there was any danger or shelter.

After he'd gone out of earshot, Skylar turned to Xuri. "Thank you so much for helping me, Xuri," she started. "I know it was kind of stupid, I could have easily saved Blade myself, but damage would have been unavoidable… I'll get over it one day," she laughed tiredly. "I guess I feel like we're invading somebody's world, so we should do our best to… be respectful? If that makes any sense."

Xuri considered what she'd said for a few moments before nodding. "I think I get it. I'm sure we wouldn't like it if a bunch of humans invaded our world." The two sat in comfortable silence for a while.

Xuri let his mind wander, thinking about how much had happened in just barely over a week (that meant seven days- another thing he'd learned from Lurantis). He and his friends had stumbled into a brand-new world, and already he'd befriended the most respected of Akala's jungle and saved his friend from the clutches of the most intimidating humans yet. Well… he wouldn't say Blade was his _friend. _But they weren't exactly rivals, either. More of just... acquaintances.

Almost on cue, Blade's obnoxiously bossy voice came ringing from farther down the path. Xuri sighed under his breath and rose to meet the tiny terror. Blade wasted no time getting right up in his face and making unnecessary comments.

"I'm back, and I didn't find anything worthwhile. Maybe you could actually _do something _next time," he snapped.

Xuri was too tired to come up with a retort, but was cut short anyways when Skylar joined the conversation, obviously annoyed. "Lighten up, Blade. Everyone's tired of your incessant mocking."

The miniature beast was obviously caught off guard- he never would've thought Skylar would be the one to take the opposite side. After recomposing himself, he snapped, "I'm the lightest one here. Now are you ready to go or what?"

Skylar glared back. "What about Xuri? We have to take him back to where he came from."

Xuri felt himself bristle a little at the thought of having to spend anymore time with Blade. "You know what? I'm fine," he interrupted with a little more force than he had intended. "I saw the jungle from when we were up in the air. It's within walking distance."

Skylar frowned slightly. "Well, if you insist. Be careful, alright?"

He nodded to her as Blade floated up to shelter himself behind her neck. She gave him one last smile as she roared away into the skies of Alola.

Xuri watched them for a moment before turning to stare up at the mountain above him.

He hated to admit it to himself, but he had no idea where he was. He guessed it would be easiest to get to higher ground to at least be able to spot the jungle from this area, and then head that way.

He began to work his way up the path, his mind once again slipping into a wandering daze. Names of places and Pokemon, and the other beasts, weaved their way to the front of his thoughts before being quickly replaced by another as the night finally settled in.

_Xuri! _

Xuri jumped, quickly spinning in a circle to see where the voice was coming from. The area was completely deserted, even the brittle yellow grass seeming frozen in place without any breeze to move it. Was he imagining things? The silence making him go insane?

Warily, he continued up the path, trying to stay alert and listen for any more odd noises. He'd walked a good few minutes before he heard it again, a bit louder this time.

_Xuri! _

Once again he spun around, surveying the area before nervously continuing up the path again. It reminded him a bit too much of his dream from last night; he desperately hoped Skylar hadn't crashed, or something bad hadn't happened to her.

He picked up his pace a little, and finally he heard another noise accompanying his footsteps. Something leapt out from grass behind him, making Xuri yelp in surprise as it landed on his head.

"Xuri!" came a muffled voice.

"Wha- Symphony!?" he cried in shock, then in disbelief. There was a slight change in pressure as the parasitic beast removed itself from Xuri's head to float in front of him.

"Yup! So glad to see you, dude! Here, follow me!" With a slight sense of deja vu, Symphony wrapped a tentacle firmly around Xuri's arm before he could say another word and dragged him back into the grass he'd come from.

After they'd walked a little while, Symphony stopped in front of seemingly nothing.

"Aha! Home, sweet home!" Xuri looked back and forth for some kind of den or nest, finding none.

"Um, where, exactly?" The shorter beast floated downwards into a slight indentation in the ground, more of a ditch than anything, bedded with some torn up grass and rocks scattered with seemingly no correlation, but he guessed they were Symphony's idea of decoration.

"Oh. Uh, very nice." Symphony invited him in- if you could even say that- and he crouched down on the carefully laid out grass and sat and talked to Symphony. They talked for a good while, about who they'd met so far, and how they were doing.

Xuri was happy to be able to talk to his old friend, and glad Symphony was doing fine as well. So far, his life had been rather uneventful but still relaxed, nothing more exciting than 'chatting up the locals.'

Xuri, on the other hand, explained to him how'd he'd gotten here, the capture, the rescue, and the escape, and how he'd ended up here.

Symphony oohed and aahed respectively at the most exciting parts of the story like almost getting pulverized by Lurantis and escaping the facility full of dangerous Pokemon, and muttered concernedly about his encounter with Xeron, finally perking up at the mention of the jungle.

"Oh, hey! I know where that is, actually! If you head that way, you'll be there in no time!" He pointed with a tentacle back across the red rocks.

"Really?" Xuri asked. "Thanks, Symphony! I should probably get back to Lurantis."

"Wait! What about Xeron? He sounds like one scary dude. Should you go somewhere else? What if he's decided that's his territory or something?"

Xuri paused at this. It was a fair point. "Well, if it is, he hasn't marked it in any way. Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

The two mused for a second before deciding that Xeron would've made obvious markings if he _really _wanted that to be his territory.

Xuri happily bade him thanks and farewell, hoping to see him again soon as he stepped carefully over the strange pile of rocks.

Symphony nodded. "Sure, no prob! Come back and visit though, okay?"

Xuri promised to and slipped back out of the grass, giving a final wave to his friend before turning and moving briskly down the path in the direction Symphony had pointed.

It had only been a few minutes at the most when the peculiar feeling that he was being watched return to Xuri.

"Symphony, I know you're there. You don't have to try and sneak around." He paused for a few seconds but no blue capped beast emerged from the grass. Shrugging, he continued to meander down the path. If Symphony wanted to be difficult, then so be it.

Xuri noticed the path was embedded with countless pawprints and footsteps- some ancient and some fresh. He paused at one pair of huge, round ones, wider but not longer than his own. They were deep in the ground, as if whatever had made them was huge and heavy. He crouched down closer- that was his mistake- noticing that the prints looked brand-new. He felt his stomach sinking.

Faster than he could run, something flashed out of the grass and grabbed Xuri, squeezing him with such force the breath was squashed out of him.

He cried out and struggled, but whatever it was had lifted him off the ground and rendered his legs useless. The pressure increased and Xuri heard a sharp _pop _followed by a hiss and then screaming pain in his right arm.

_This is it, _he thought as black crowded at the edges of his vision. _I'm sorry, Lurantis… _And everything was black.


	7. Chapter 7

When he woke up, everything was black, as if he hadn't really woken up and was stuck in some waking dream- or nightmare. Finding himself in a lying down position, he tried to roll over but it felt as if Wailord were crushing his limbs.

He wasn't sure what exactly a Wailord _was, _but Lurantis had used it as an analogy for a huge boulder so he assumed it was heavy.

His copper claws struggled to get a hold on the sandy floor, but they just wouldn't cooperate.

Peering into the pitch black, Xuri wished the sun was there to help him see. He didn't realize how easy it was to take such seemingly normal things for granted. Unable to move, he laid helplessly on the ground.

But after a few moments, as if his unspoken wish had been granted, a gentle orange light began to fill the space around him.

He rolled over to the best of his abilities to look through the mouth of what seemed to be a cave and out onto the dry bracken and dirty colored grounds of the park.

But the most beautiful, breathtaking thing about it was the sunrise. The ball of light was peeking cautiously over the horizon, surrounded by swirls of pink and purple and tinged barely with red. He stared in absolute awe as the colors began to fill in the rest of the sky slowly, wanting to scoot forward to see better but again hindered by his damaged arm.

Finally snapping out of the trance, Xuri decided to take advantage of the light and use it to observe what exactly had happened to him. Glancing down, he felt his circuits stop short. The white band that held the wires of his arms together was _gone. _

He flashed back to before he had gone unconscious, realizing with dread the _snap _and the _hiss _had been him falling apart. What was he going to do?! Something would find him here, unable to fight back, or whatever had attacked him the first time would come back and finish him off.

He looked around fearfully, trying to find something that would help fix him or somewhere he could better hide. There were leaves scattered on the ground, a tight-woven basket filled with an assortment of berries, a big pink Pokemon watching him with pinned ears and wide eyes, two sleeping nooks padded with downy feathers and lush leaves…

_Wait WHAT_

Xuri whipped his head back to look at the Pokemon, who was cowering at the far end of the cave, clutching something in its paws. He recognized it right away as his missing piece.

Fear and anger flooded him immediately, his fight-or-flight instincts kicking in. He tried desperately to move into some kind of offensive position, still weighed down by his useless arm.

The Pokemon scooted farther back at his sudden movement. He lashed his tail, trying to seem threatening. If it made a move, he'd have to-

He couldn't even finish his thought before something warm and blue began to flicker near his shoulder.

"One more move and I'll crack that big lightbulb of yours."

Xuri froze, even more terrified than before.

"Sit up," they growled again.

"I- I can't," he mumbled.

"I _said sit up." _

"I can't!" Xuri snapped back, louder now.

"Why not?" they demanded.

"My arm," he said into the ground.

His captor knelt down to inspect the arm he hadn't moved, giving him a good look at the creature.

She was short but sturdy looking, a flexible tail and blunt claws that didn't look overall deadly, but could still most likely deal some damage. Her body was sleek and a deep, dark purple, almost closer to black, but her head was encased in white, and her eyes burned with blue fire and passion almost as strongly as the flaming white stick she carried. A star shape appeared to be emblazoned on her forehead. Around her neck was a thin piece of string, and attached to it was a small, curling seashell that looked worn away with age.

After a few moments of inspection, she muttered something under her breath and turned to the other, ordering him to bring her the band.

"I'm going to need you to hold still," she said to Xuri sharply. "Or I'll have Bewear pin you down."

He shuddered, assuming Bewear was the other Pokemon and not wanting to feel those crushing paws again. What were they going to do to him? She ran a paw up and down his arm once, before carefully positioning the band around his arm.

"Hold this," she instructed to Bewear. The huge paws wrapped gently around the band, holding it closed as the other got up and rummaged in the back for something. It took all of his willpower not to flinch away.

Carefully glancing up, he noticed Bewear refused to meet his gaze. After a few tense moments of silence, the other Pokemon returned with a small, carved out dish full of some kind of paste. She knelt down again and spread it across the part of the band that had snapped.

After using up the entire bowl, she sat back and said, "there. Give it a few minutes and it should be as good as new. That stuff's stronger than any glue. As long as you're not the type to get into fights every five minutes, you'll be fine."

She turned back to the far end of the cave and began to rummage through the various leaves and berries on the ground.

Bewear paused for a second, making a move to follow before pausing and turning back to Xuri. Xuri tensed a little, wondering what the Pokemon wanted from him.

Bewear reached out a paw and gave a him a tiny pat on the head before crawling back after her. He could've sworn he'd seen the slightest of smiles on Bewear's face. The poor thing.

Xuri could guess easily he was very affectionate, but wasn't aware of his own strengths. He hadn't attacked Xuri with harmful intentions- he just wanted to give him a hug.

He sat for a few minutes longer, feeling the feeling return to his arm. He noticed blue eyes watching him move it, suddenly realizing he should probably thank her.

"Um, thank you," he started. She watched him for a moment before merely grunting. She was still tracing the ridges in the seashell around her neck with one paw. "I'm, uh, Xuri."

The was a long pause before she simply said, "Marrow." He cocked his head, confused at her response for a moment before realizing that was her name.

"Well," he started again, suddenly feeling awkward. "I guess I should be going." He tried to stand up, but he could only crouch or he would bang his head against the ceiling. Nobody stopped him from moving towards the entrance. As he stood hunched over, near the entrance of the cavern, he tried again.

"Thank you, Marrow. Er, and Bewear." Marrow looked back over towards him and nodded. Bewear offered a tiny wave. He flicked his tail in return and squeezed back out into the open air.

He hadn't taken a few steps forward when a voice squeaked, "Hey!"

Xuri looked back and forth quickly, not seeing anybody among the dry grasses and dirt pathways.

"Down here!"

Panning his gaze downward, he saw a Pokemon that looked so out of place in this hot and desolate place it was almost funny. Its smooth blue fur and long, curved claws looked better fit to somewhere icy and cold rather than a desert condition like this.

"Tail!" cried the Pokemon again. He only then realized he had one foot still stamped down on her tail.

"Oh! Uh, sorry," he apologized hastily, taking a step back. She shook her head.

"Not to worry. I think you might be who I'm looking for. Xuri, isn't it?" Xuri nearly took another step back, surprised whoever this was knew his name.

"Well, yeah, that's me. How'd you know?"

"Well, you fit the description pretty well. Thin, black-and-white, reeeeally tall…" She backed up a little bit to be able to squint all the way up at his face. "Yep, definitely you. Come on!" Without a moment's hesitation, she hopped up, grabbed his hand and began trying to lead him back down the mountain.

"Hey, wait! I don't even know who you are! Or who sent you!" Xuri protested.

The Pokemon sighed and turned back to him, the clear-blue spikes on her back tinkling against each other.

"My name's Avanelle," she said in a businesslike manner, shaking the hand she'd already been holding. "I already know you're Xuri. Somebody sent me here asking me to take you to Poni to meet them."

"Who?" Xuri asked, a little suspicious.

"Well, I didn't catch their name, so sorry about that. But they were tall, just like you. I think even taller. They looked a lot like you."

Xuri paused for a moment, considering who it could be.

_Oh! Duh! _Even taller than him but still very alike? He could easily imagine Skylar stopping this young Pokemon named Avanelle and asking her to find him.

"I bet it was Skylar!" Xuri said aloud. "Alright, take me to them," he added, addressing Avanelle. She rolled her eyes.

"Finally. It's almost like you had to write out that whole thought process for everyone to hear before you could agree with me." And with that, she resumed trotting down the road, Xuri following her with long strides.

As they walked, he thought back to Skylar and Blade. They'd left shortly before he'd been bear-hugged by Bewear and brought to Marrow's den. When he'd woken, it had been just before dawn, which meant that he'd slept through at _least _one night, and if Skylar had had the time to send a messenger and for the messenger have found him, that meant…

"I've been asleep for at least three days?!" he yelped out loud, causing Avanelle to jump.

"Okay, look Avanelle, we might need to put this on hold. I need to go to Lush Jungle first and find-"

Before he'd even finished his sentence, she shrugged and butted in, "Okay. It's right along the way anyways." Xuri was slightly taken aback, surprised it was that easy with her no-nonsense temperament. Perhaps that was just the first impression she gave off. Picking up the pace slightly, the two increased their pace back down the hill.

"Hey!" A voice called out. Xuri stopped, tapping a foot anxiously as Symphony floated out of the grass. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"We're going to meet Skylar and Blade on…" he looked at Avanelle.

"Poni Island," she finished for him.

"Yeah, there."

Symphony looked momentarily confused but instead just answered, "Well, alright then. You have fun!"

Xuri thanked him and continued down the path, Avanelle nearly dragging him as Symphony waved farther up the path. It wasn't long before they were out of the park and on their way to the jungle.

In almost no time at all, there striding down the path with the huge, sunbaked rocks where he had landed on one side and the secluded entrance to the Jungle on the other.

"Lurantis?" he called out in the direction of the crowded trees. Almost instantly, a shriek came from the other side.

"I _knew _you wouldn't leave me!" Lurantis cried, wrapping her arms around Xuri's legs. Avanelle looked on, half amused and half annoyed with the overly affectionate gesture.

"Alright people, move it or lose it. We've gotta boat to catch."

"Huh?" Lurantis looked over towards Avanelle, her eyes narrowing. "Who is she?" she demanded.

Xuri sighed internally at Lurantis's overprotectiveness. "This is Avanelle. Avanelle, Lurantis. Lurantis, Avanelle."

Lurantis still seemed suspicious, but nodded. "Nice to meet you," she said shortly.

Avanelle came close to rolling her eyes again before catching herself. "You too. And may I be acquainted with you two, as well?" Xuri paused, confused.

"What? There's only me and-"

He stopped again when he saw she wasn't even looking in their direction. She snorted, flicking a small, sharp piece of ice in the direction she was staring. It flew harmlessly into a bush, until a yelp claimed otherwise as a familiar hulking figure stumbled out out of overgrowth.

"Bewear?!" Xuri was impressed by just how keen Avanelle's senses were.

"You too," she snapped at the bush again.

"It's not like those little ice pellets will do anything to me," grumbled yet another recognizable voice, as Marrow emerged sullenly from the bushes, her necklace bumping against her chest.

"How-?" Xuri was left more bemused than ever. "Why are you guys here?" Marrow grinned under her exterior skull.

"Well y'see, little Avanelle here talks awfully loud." Avanelle bristled a little at the snide comment. "And, overhearing you guys were setting out on a fairly interesting adventure, we thought we'd tag along. It was a spy mission until just now."

Lurantis was glaring at the newest female to arrive on the scene, and Avanelle looked less than happy, but Xuri had a feeling Marrow wasn't just going to walk away. Even without spending much time with her, it was obvious she was persistent as all heck.

Avanelle paused for a few more moments before grumbling, "Fine. Whatever. But we need to get moving, so you'd better keep up."

And with that, she was moving briskly towards the seafront, followed by three Pokemon and one peculiar Beast.


	8. Chapter 8

The sun's rays beat down on the group as they hurried across the white sands of Akkala's beach.

"Hano Beach," Avanelle explained. "Just a little farther now. There's a small, secluded cove where we keep our boat."

"Boat? Ours?" Lurantis questioned in between strides. Avanelle sighed.

"It's easier just to show you." She pressed on, obviously excited at how close they were to their destination.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking," Xuri started. "What's a boat?"

Marrow scoffed. "You don't know what a _boat _is? Maybe you _are _from a different world."

"He is!" argued Lurantis defensively.

Marrow still seemed mildly appalled, but didn't press any longer, instead flicking sand with her tail in their direction.

Xuri yelped as it got trapped within his wires, and it felt like tiny creatures crawling on his legs as the tubes moved. "This sand stuff is horrible!" he cried. "It gets _everywhere!_"

Avanelle giggled a little, and Marrow moved to conceal her own laughter with a snort.

Lurantis merely sighed, but stepped back as Bewear placed his paws firmly around Xuri and hoisted him off the ground, only for Xuri to squeak again.

The march resumed, leaving him partially relieved he no longer had to trod through the sand but also hoping Bewear wouldn't drop him. Or squeeze too hard.

Within a few more footsteps, they had rounded the corner of craggy cliff walls and emerged into the small lagoon Avanelle had mentioned.

Marrow perked up in interest as they shuffled up next to the boat, who's smooth finish and ornate carvings quickly caught the rest of their attentions as well. It was a good size, not gigantic but still large enough to accomodate all of them with a little breathing room.

"Wow! Did you carve this headpiece? It's Kommo-o, isn't it?" she asked, the slightest bit of awe creeping into her voice.

Avanelle nodded a bit sheepishly. "Yep. I mean, these claws are good for something, right?" She held a paw up to the sunlight, letting the light glint off the silver blades.

Marrow shrugged, but glanced over at Avanelle nonetheless, something unrecognizable glinting in her eyes. "Sure," she grumbled.

Lurantis's attitude had taken a turn for the better, quickly turning back into her chatterbox self once they got moving. "It's awesome, Avanelle! Can we get in it?"

She nodded. "Of course! But-"

Lurantis had already started to hoist herself up into it, one leg over the side, when a tall, slender shape rose up above them, coming right up to even Xuri's head. She let out a squawk and feel backwards, splashing into the shallow water.

The teal, sleek-scaled monster let a growl from the depths of its throat, but as soon as it caught sight of Avanelle, its demeanor changed entirely.

"Avanelle, honey! You're back! Are these your friends? I'm assuming this must be Xuri," he added, looking at him with warmth in his wrinkled eyes.

"Oh, uh, yeah, that's me. Nice to meet you..."

"Drampa!" Avanelle called out joyfully, hopping up and wrapping her paws around his serpentine neck. He let out a barking laugh and carefully placed her into the boat with gentle paws.

"Good to see you, too, dear. Now, don't be afraid, all of you. This'll probably be a three-day trip, so we best be going if we all want to meet Xuri's friends!" Drampa glanced back down at where Lurantis still sat in the water.

"Let me help you, little lady. I'm sorry I spooked you before." He bent down and gently took one of her arms in his jaws, lifting her and placing her in the boat alongside Avanelle.

Lurantis quickly brushed herself off. "Not to worry, mister Drampa," she began. "I am Lurantis, Totem of the Lush Jungle. You didn't scare me, merely surprised me. I assumed the boat was empty, even though that was… incorrect," she said, looking a bit embarrassed about having to be helped by Avanelle's older caretaker.

Drampa's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Ah, I see then. Very well, Totem." He returned his attention to the remaining three. "Well, what are you waiting for? Hop in!"

Xuri stepped in easily, squatting down in the boat as to not fall over. Marrow struck her flames against the sand to put them out before stepping in after him, and Bewear carefully sat down to avoid rocking. He pressed himself close Marrow, looking unsure of what else to do.

Once everybody had settled down, finding places to sit in the boat (which now felt a little smaller), Drampa picked up an oar and pushed off against the sand, sending them out into the vastness of the blue ocean.

"And we're off!"

Once the island was merely a blob of grays and greens behind them, they easily fell into a comfortable rhythm.

They all were supposed to take turns rowing, but usually Bewear and Drampa ended up behind the oars. Xuri was glad they didn't mind, as he found rowing to be quite exhausting against the tugging currents and blowing winds.

Avanelle had revealed a compartment in the interior housing a basket filled with berries and goodies, which she insisted they were going to have to ration even though it was obvious there were more than enough.

Drampa took on the fatherly role in the group, telling them off for arguing with one another ('_I will turn this boat around!_') or scolding them for staying up too late into the night if it wasn't their turn to row ('_Growing Pokemon need their sleep!_').

Avanelle and Marrow had been incredibly competitive for the first day. They spent most of the time shooting glares in each other's directions, and when it was their turn to row they'd always try and row faster for the other.

Lurantis had watched most of it with mild interest, but Xuri was much more fascinated with the waters below them. He spent most of his time straining to see down into the depths, where shadows of creatures moved gracefully underneath them. Instead of spending the first day bickering, he instead watched the ocean patiently for something to drift upwards close enough to surface for him to try to catch.

Bewear had sat with him for a while before getting bored going back to rowing. Xuri had the feeling the empathetic fuzzball was still trying to make a friendly impression on him after their disastrous first meeting.

After a good few hours of staring and listening to Marrow and Avanelle argue and mulling over his very existence, a tiny shape began to move upwards towards him. Lashing out, his claws connected with a slimy body. He cried out in surprise and sat back heavily in the boat. The small gray-blue fish followed him, flopping helplessly on the boat's floor.

Avanelle and Marrow began to laugh out loud as he rolled halfway across the boat in an overzealous effort to escape his slimy prize, and even Lurantis had to giggle.

After regaining his wits, Xuri sat up, embarrassed, and flicked the fish back into the water, grumbling under his breath.

After the whole "fish shenanigan," Xuri was dedicated to keeping his claws _out _of the water. Even after the event, though, he still was captivated by the waters' surface.

As the sun began to set, its colors bled across the sea in shimmering reds and oranges. But the real beauty was when the moon had risen in the sky. He watched, hypnotized, as the usually blue ocean was now speckled with shining stars. He nearly felt the temptation to try and scoop one up when somebody tapped his back.

He turned to see Drampa smiling at him. "The real glory's up here, kid," he chuckled, pointing to the sky.

Xuri's breath was taken away by the pure awesomeness of the night sky. He'd never seen it this _clear. _Most nights he merely got a glimpse of a star or two from beneath the jungles canopy. But now, he could see stars and galaxies and _everything_.

The others were already looking and pointing, and when Xuri scooted over to join them they explained to him about the constellations, the shapes in the stairs.

They spent most of the night gazing in wonder at the sky, until Drampa told them all to get some sleep for the next day.

Xuri curled up and lay on his back, still watching the stars and not quite feeling like sleeping yet. The rare silence on the open water suggested everybody else was asleep, until a gentle thunk and the sound of something rolling caught his attention. He was about to lift his head when he heard Marrow's voice.

"My bad. I didn't mean to drop it. I'll take that back."

Avanelle's voice came next. "This is really pretty, you know. Where did you get it?" There was a gentle clink as it turned in her claws.

Xuri could only guess they were talking about the shell Marrow always wore around her neck.

"Um. Funny story, I guess. Like… my grandma gave it to me. But only after my first boyfriend left her and I to die during a volcanic explosion."

Avanelle sounded shocked. "Oh my goodness. I… well, I didn't expect that. But, uh, I'm really sorry about that. He sounds like a terrible person. I'm assuming you're not together anymore…?"

Both of them broke off into awkward laughter.

"But, um, it's good that you survived that. That's really scary. I don't think I could've done that. You and your grandma are really strong."

"Well…" Marrow trailed off. "This is all I have left to remember her."

Silence followed.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I-"

"No no no, you're fine. You didn't know. Besides, I've accepted it. But if I ever see Kiluea again, I'm going to _destroy _him."

Avanelle laughed. "I'll help you."

"...really?"

"Why not?"

Their conversation continued for a while, and Xuri started to feel drowsy. It sounded like Avanelle and Marrow were starting to get along, and everybody else was so peaceful.

As he leaned against the side of the boat, drifting off, he realized he wouldn't have minded being on the boat forever.

The next couple days moved by quickly. Most everything stayed fairly standard, but Xuri noticed a few differences in not the setting, but the Pokemon themselves.

Bewear had seemed so tense at first, moving as little as possible and avoiding most gazes, but he had relaxed immensely since then. He let the girls give him a "makeover" with some extra berry juice and even lifted up some of the shorter Pokemon so they could feel the seabreeze. Lurantis in particular had enjoyed playing Queen of the World.

Marrow and Avanelle had taken a turn for the better as well. Instead of bickering, they seemed to have gotten over their differences and now acted like best friends. They spent the majority of the time together smiling and laughing and telling stories, which Xuri was glad for since arguing isn't the greatest thing to listen to when you're all crammed onto a boat for three whole days. The second night, he'd caught Avanelle leaning on Marrow's shoulder as she gazed out over the open ocean.

In the morning of the third day, Drampa suddenly shouted, "LAND HO!"

Everyone scrambled to the front of the boat to try to get a good look. Bewear had already picked up Lurantis and Avanelle, and Xuri felt Marrow hoist herself up to hold on to his arm.

"Poni Island!" cried Avanelle. "It's the prettiest of the islands by far. Barely inhabited by humans, except for their little village on the seafront. I can't wait!"

At the excitement in her voice, Drampa and Bewear began to row faster.

Xuri gazed out at the island in front of them, eager to see Skylar again. He did wonder, though, why she hadn't just flown back to find him.

_Oh, yeah. I forgot. She's probably still recovering from our rescue mission. _He'd be sure to bring her something nice, maybe some berries or something he'd find on Poni.

Avanelle's happiness was contagious. He couldn't wait either.

Around an hour later, the hull of the boat bumped into the sandy shores of Poni Island. Everyone clambered out, groaning and stumbling along the solid ground.

Xuri had to stare at the ground to be able to stay standing- he was so used to the rocking of the boat that the land felt unnatural.

After they'd all gotten their bearings, Avanelle once again began to lead the way.

"On the far northwest side of the island, farther than even the Altar, there's a vast wilderness untouched by humans. There's also some beautiful cliffs where you can look straight down into the ocean. I think that's where we're supposed to meet. Skylar didn't really specify, but we should go there first so we can look out and find her."

Marrow pushed her way to the front of the group. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She and Avanelle pounded forwards, away from the beach and into the lush green overgrowth of Poni Island.

When they were halfway to their destination, Drampa barked, "STOP!" Everyone quickly turned to look at him.

"Drampa, is everything alright?" Lurantis asked concernedly.

He grinned back in response, and revealed a drawstring pouch from his furry paws. "Lunchtime! How are you going to make it on an empty stomach?"

Everyone's relief was prominent as the sat down in a circle and laughed. After everyone had shared the berries and was contentedly full, they resumed their journey once again.

It was late afternoon by the time they'd reached the foot of the hill.

"We can't stop now! C'mon, everyone!" Marrow said, beginning to walk up the slope.

Avanelle nodded, eyes sparkling. "Yeah! I can't wait to talk to your friend again, Xuri! They were really nice." Xuri laughed.

"Yep, that's Skylar for ya. I can't wait to see her again, either."

Lurantis shrugged. "She seemed kinda crazy last time I saw her," she grumbled, "but whatever."

Not wanting another argument to start, Xuri quickly intervened, "Well, she was a bit strung out because her other friend got captured, so there's no need to start an argument so close to our destination, alright?"

She shrugged again, saying, "True, true," as she continued up the hill.

After a bit more walking, they finally reached the top of the hill.

It was a beautiful, hidden place. It backed right up to the stone of the canyon, with a rock wall on one side and a cave on the other. A small tree barely blooming with white flowers stood near the edge of the cliff, where the roaring waves could be heard crashing against the craggy coast.

"Wow," Marrow said. "Very serene. I like it." Avanelle nodded in agreement. Lurantis frowned.

"Where's Skylar?"

Everyone muttered and nodded at her question, looking back and forth in search for the beast.

Xuri was the first one to see them. They were sitting up in tree branches, leaning back, propped up against the trunk as if they owned the place. He froze, his limbs refusing to move. Nobody else had noticed yet.

Avanelle looked back at him, mouth open in question, before seeing his rigid posture and following his gaze up to the tree.

"Oh!" she cried. "I found them!" Everyone turned to see at the sound of her voice, the mutterings falling silent.

They slid down from the tree, and their feet hitting the ground made Xuri want to flinch but he still couldn't move and he could barely breathe and why was he here and where was Skylar and where was Blade and-

"Xuri," hissed Lurantis, tugging his arm gently. "Are you okay? Is there more than one Skylar? Cause' that does NOT look like the Skylar I met."

Hearing her voice made his return.

He felt the growl in his voice as he asked, "What are you doing here? Where's Skylar? What did you do with her?"

The other shook his head. "Always so suspicious. I didn't _do _anything with her. Calm down. She was never here in the first place."

Avanelle looked back and forth, confused.

"Wait. But I thought _you _were Skylar? I'm so confused…"

They bent down to place a reassuring claw on her head.

Marrow sensed the tension rising and drew forth her flames, her pupils dilating.

"No, dear Avanelle. Skylar was never here.

My name happens to be Xeron."

Avanelle cocked her head again. "Oh. So, you must be the friend then!"

Xeron's small laugh was icier than the spikes on her back. "I guess you could say that," he continued smoothly.

Xuri shook is head and took a step back. Xeron snapped his attention to Xuri's movement and straightened.

"Ah. Xuri. I see you found some friends. They say the weak travel in packs for a reason."

Xuri couldn't move again. He felt like someone had locked his joints and thrown away the key.

Xeron began to move forward, towards him. "Do you know why I called you here?" He took the silence as a no. "Well. It's because I'd like to have you as a… _partner _of sorts. Think of it as a business. You could help me immensely-"

"NO!" Xuri yelled without meaning to. "I'd never work with you! You did something horrible I don't know what but I can sense it you're terrible stay away from them-"

Xeron sighed with enough weight to block Xuri's gabbling. "You're rambling." He paused again, his invisible gaze sweeping back and forth among the small crowd behind them.

"I find it fascinating that you can see right through me. Nobody else can, I've noticed. Maybe it's because we're… the same."

"I am NOTHING LIKE YOU!" Xuri wailed, still paralyzed.

They may have looked nearly identical, but on the inside, he was sure Xeron was as far away from similar as possible. Something about that red glow around Xeron. His strength was unnatural. He had done something terrible to get it, but Xuri didn't know what.

Xeron shook his head again. "Fine. Be that way."

Before Xuri could react, Xeron's claws were slamming him into the rock wall, knocking the breath out of him. "I'll ask you one more time," he growled. "Join me."

Gasping, Xuri managed to whisper a barely audible, "No…" Behind Xeron, he could see everyone standing in shock.

Tears in Avanelle's eyes as she realized she'd led them right into a trap, Marrow in a fighting stance but still unmoving and frozen with uncertainty, Lurantis shaking and staring wide-eyed.

Xeron laughed that bone chilling laugh again. "Well, you know what they say. You are their _leader, _Xuri. They came here for you. The sailed from island to island for you. And without a leader, there isn't a team anymore."

Xeron's claws flashed through the air again before Xuri could react, and there was a terrible _RRRIP_ and hanging from his claws was something black and screams echoed around the clearing and he looked down and _oh my stars. _

His chest was missing three long streaks. Suddenly everything flashed and he couldn't keep his balance.

Xeron's hiss sounded like electricity leaping from his tongue. Xuri sank to his knees, the world continuing to blur and stretch around him.

"You could've been worth something," he growled.

Heavy claws sank into the wounds he'd already made

And he tossed Xuri off the cliff

Into the ocean.

And he splashed into the water

He could feel it filling up his empty space that Xeron had torn out

And he loved the ocean but he never wanted to be in it like this

And he hated Xeron

But there was nothing he could do now

And it all faded away.


	9. Chapter 9

"_XURI!" _A scream cut through the air.

Lurantis launched herself forward, feet pounding against the ground, towards Xeron. Everything dissolved into chaos- shouting and turning in desperate circles. Lurantis let her feet carry her right past Xeron, and over the cliff, after him, to save him-

"Agh!" Something grabbed her legs and sent her face first into the dirt.

She whipped around, expecting to see Xeron towering over her, but instead, Bewear was there, his eyes filled with fear and worry.

"Let- go!-" she kicked at him, but he pulled her closer, into a hug. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" she snarled at him. "Xuri just got thrown off a cliff and-" Lurantis stopped short as everything gravitated down onto her. "X-Xuri… just got…"

She couldn't finish the thought, burying herself in Bewear's fur and finally letting herself cry. After a few moments, she heard a loud sigh from behind her.

Bewear turned, still holding her, to see Xeron, looking almost bored.

"Are you all done yet? Great. Now, there's two ways this can happen."

Lurantis could've sworn the intimidating red aura around him had grown brighter.

"Option One: You cooperate, keep your mouths shut, and do what I tell you to do. When the ta- When my _plan _is set into action, you may be spared. I can see you being rather useful for information. Option Two: You disobey and end up meeting a fate like Xuri's. Perhaps even worse." Everyone fell into a stunned silence.

"And why should we listen to you?" A voice sliced through the quiet. Marrow stood defiantly, flames alight.

Xeron flexed his claws. "Do I have to spell it out for you? I just killed Xuri. You should have seen that. Unless you're blind, and I don't think you are."

The tension in the air was so strong Lurantis was afraid to blink in fear that everything might snap. All eyes rested on either Xeron or Marrow.

And then fire was flying through the air.

It all happened too quick to see. Marrow launched herself towards Xeron, a furious whirlwind of flames.

Drampa leapt as quickly as he could to shield Avanelle, who still watching with tears frozen to her face. His poor, poor daughter. He should've been a better father. If he had just told Avanelle _No, we're not going to go find somebody just because a stranger told you to, _everything would be alright. He quickly gathered Avanelle in his paws, trying to hide her in their thick white fur from this terrible monster.

There was another screech as Marrow was thrown backwards and landed with a thump on the far side of the clearing.

Anger suddenly filled Drampa's lungs. That was Avanelle's best friend. He couldn't just let this monster throw around children like the were dolls. He could feel the fire gathering in his throat as he let out a low growl, straightening his neck to be at his full height.

_NOBODY touches my daughter or her friends! _He let loose a belt of flame, roaring in anger. The flames nearly missed Xeron, still scorching his side.

"Wh-" Xeron rounded on them with a snarl, claws bared. He flashed forward and fastened his claws around Drampa's neck.

"What did I just say?" he asked with quiet fury. "Disobey, and-" But Drampa's attention was no longer on him.

Something was blotting out the sky behind him. Xeron was still talking, but his talking was nothing but a dull roar.

"Skylar!" someone shouted, and he recognized Lurantis's voice.

Xeron leapt backwards and twisted around, but could barely say a word before a gargantuan metal arm slammed down onto the hill with a _BOOM _that sent them all flying into the air.

"Wah!" Marrow could feel herself lifting off the ground from some kind of explosion, still groggily trying to recover from Xeron's initial attack. Slamming back down before being able to regain her balance, she forced herself upright using her bone as support. The dust was still clearing, but she heard a deep voice cut through the chaos.

"Xuri!? Why are you-" As the dust cleared, the gigantic figure squinted at the beast below her. "Xeron?!" she gasped. "Where's Xuri? What do you think you're doing?! Symphony told me something was off, about how Xuri and his friends were meeting me at Poni even though I'd told him I was going back to Ula'Ula and-"

She couldn't finish her sentence before Xeron lunged at her. Skylar was more flexible than she looked; she twisted deftly out of the way of Xeron's sparking claws and counter with another swing of one of her arms. Her eyes were hard and cold. Had she seen through Xeron's facade, felt the slight strings of suspicion pulling at her?

Xeron tried to stop his momentum and duck, but it still managed to catch one of legs and send him sprawling onto the ground.

Skylar's arm went up again, ready to crush him, but he rolled out of the way and slashed at the arm with his tail, shocking her for a few moments and giving him enough time to get back on his feet. Marrow watched on in awe as the beasts continued to duel.

Skylar seemed to have to upper hand, though she still hadn't been able to smash Xeron into the ground but had gotten pretty close on multiple occasions.

Xeron spent most of his time dodging her swinging arms and trying to throw sparks to catch her off guard, which didn't seem to be working all that great. Marrow could see he was trying to tire her out, but Skylar still seemed to be holding up.

It was too risky to leap into battle again with the risk of getting zapped or punched by a giant arm, so she kept her distance but still was ready if Skylar needed help. Whoever this giant beast was, she was obviously on their side.

From the looks of it this was who they were _supposed _to be meeting up here, not Xeron.

Suddenly, she heard a gasp and a heavy _thump _as one of Skylar's arms crashed to the group, immobilized when Xeron had let loose a rather wicked bolt of electricity. Marrow tensed.

She was off balance now, trying to hit him with her remaining arm but failing.

Xeron laughed that malicious, bloodcurdling laugh again.

"Sorry Skylar. You would've been a great asset to my… ah, team. But I should've known you wouldn't help me."

Before she could respond, he leapt straight for her, claws crackling violently as they connected. Skylar wailed as the electricity engulfed her, lighting up the area around her and sending her other arm crashing to the ground, and well as she herself falling from where she'd been hovering.

Marrow watched on in disbelief as Skylar feel to the ground, silent.

Her tears crackled with electricity.

Everything was blur after Skylar's defeat. Xeron was irate, forcing them all into the cavern where they were to be held prisoner.

He actually had to _throw _Lurantis and Marrow in. They all muttered and whimpered, terrified of what would happen if he heard them.

Symphony was found cowering behind Skylar and tossed in with the rest of them.

He began to explain how Xuri had told him they were going to go to Poni to find Skylar, but how Skylar had told _him _she was going to a _different _island, which had immediately seemed suspicious so he'd gone to look on the island where she'd told _him _she was going. She and Symphony and Blade had immediately headed here, but after Skylar was defeated he ran like a coward. Avanelle crouched in the far corner of the cave, refusing to talk to anyone else.

The image of Xeron tossing Xuri's body off the cliff played over and over again in her head.

_This is all my fault. Oh my stars. Ohhh my stars. _She couldn't keep the tears from rolling down her face, crystallizing into tiny icicles on her face. _How did I let this happen?! _

Xeron was leaning forwards as if to watch her friend's body tumble down the cliffside, like he was confirming Xuri's doom. Watching his slightly hunched figure brought a memory bursting forth.

_Back on Mount Lanakila. Avanelle had grown bored with trying to chisel ice sculptures in the freezing caves. She'd informed Drampa she was going for a nighttime stroll and wandered up onto one of the icy, isolated hills facing out over Ula'Ula. _

_Her eyes had wandered over the island painted by the moon, until her gaze had wandered so far to one side that she saw a glint of movement next to her. _

_Whipping around, but seeing nothing, she called out anxiously, "Wh- who's there?" After a few moments of silence, a smooth, deep voice had responded. _

"_Don't be afraid. I don't want to hurt you. Can you come over here for a moment?" Curiosity got the best of her, and she slowly inched towards the voice. _

_As she did, the figure partially stepped out of the shadows and revealed themself; tall and thin, copper claws that glinted when they touched the moonlight, faintly pulsing lights along their body. There was the faintest glow of red surrounding them. _

"_You look like a Christmas tree," blurted Avanelle without thinking. The figure laughed, a deep, silky laugh that only enticed her more. _

"_Should I take that as a compliment? Actually, never mind. That's not why I'm here." She frowned. _

"_Then why are you here, mister?" She hoped they were a mister, anyways. That would be embarrassing. _

"_Well, you see, I've been looking for somebody to carry a message to one of my… good friends. I would do it myself, but I want to meet them at the point I want them to go to. So, kind of difficult for me to do that, you see." He paused for a moment, as if contemplating. "But then I stumbled across you. You're young, robust, and I'm sure you'll be able to deliver this message of mine. You look more than capable!" _

_Avanelle had felt herself glow a little at his praise. "Of course I'll take it for you! Um, to who and where, though?" _

"_His name is Xuri. Remember that. And I'd like you to tell him to meet his friend on Poni Island." _

_She perked up. That didn't sound so hard. _

"_I believe he now resides on Aka- A… ka… Akala. Akala Island." He stumbled over the name of the island as if it were in a foreign language, but Avanelle didn't think much of it. _

"_I'll do it!" _

_The stranger brought their claws together, creating a _klink! _noise and some small sparks. _

"_Thank you!…" _

"_Avanelle," she finished for him. He nodded. _

"_Greatest thanks to you, Avanelle," he murmured as he dipped back into the shadows. She smiled for a moment, happy to help somebody, but suddenly realized she'd forgot one thing. _

"_Wait! What was your name?" But he was already gone. _

Avanelle tried to dry her tears. He had seemed so nice that night.

But it was all a charade. A trap.

She thought about how Drampa had seemed suspicious when she explained what had happened, and felt awful for pushing him to take her to talk to Xuri.

She should've trusted his fatherly instincts… He had only been trying to keep her safe. This was all her fault.

Bewear stared out at the body of Skylar, still unmoving even though it had been hours since the battle.

Was she really…? Was she asleep? In a coma? Merely unconscious? They could only hope for the best.

Xeron was staring out over the ocean, like he was waiting for something. Looking at him made Bewear's fur stand on end, so he turned back into the cramped cavern.

Everyone was silent and sad-looking. He shuffled past all of them, even Avanelle, towards the back, where he could hopefully get some sleep.

But he lay and tossed and turned, bothered by something else. Finally, he sat up to count them.

One, two, three, four, five, six, including him and Symphony. Then where was that other presence coming from…? His ears swiveled to try and pinpoint the noise surely not belonging to any of the prisoners, nearly drowned by the howling winds that signaled a coming storm.

Alarmed, he crawled forward and tugged gently at Marrow's tail. She gave him an annoyed look until she saw the urgency on his face.

"What's the matter?" she hissed to him. He tapped her bone and then pointed at the back of the cave.

She frowned at him, but carefully lit her fire as to not alert Xeron and walked towards the back of the cavern until she almost bumped straight into the wall.

But not the wall.

Her gasp was audible and the light shone on it and Bewear felt his ears fly back and his tail go in between his legs.

Everyone else turned to look and was stopped with looks of terror and awe. A giant, black and yellow monster was stuffed into the very back of the cave. Its slow, heavy breathing echoed through the cavern, now impossible to ignore.

Two pairs of ferocious blue eyes gazed out into nothingness, two giant claws laying limp at its sides.

Once she'd recovered, Marrow stammered, "I-I think it's asleep."

On the other side of the island, the deity watched the chaos unfold.

Tapu Fini stirred the water of her puddle delicately with one finger to reveal the events of a few nights before.

Xeron stood in that same spot facing the water, speaking to what appeared to be a crack in the sky. A ripple.

"No, no sign of them yet."

A garbled, inaudible voice said something from the other side.

"Yes. If he brings more Pokemon, we'll use them to get information about the islands."

More garbled speaking.

"Well, you see…" Xeron started. "Only one of the three agents you gave me made it through. Yes, they're with me. Currently asleep but will wake up and attack on command. I've, ah, tamed it, I guess you could say."

Another pause.

"Of course. I'll lean in and give the O.K. when you fully open the wormhole. And you have a large enough army to overrun the humans _and _their Pokemon?"

The voice from the other side sounded annoyed.

"Er, no, I was just asking. Of course I don't doubt you. Sir," he added hastily.

Another question asked.

"Yes, this world is very bright. We will be able to use it and move on quickly if needed."

The voice began to ask yet another question, which Xeron seemed hesitant to answer.

"Yes. I have ways to… dispose of all of them if needed."

There was silence from the other end for a few moments before the voice began to ask one last question.

Xeron straightened.

"My thoughts exactly. A Light source _and _a paradise for us Beasts."

Tapu Fini swirled the water again as Xeron began to sign off to whatever overlord or commander he'd been speaking to. Combined with today's and tonight's events, she'd seen more than enough to know what was going on. She let out a heavy sigh.

Could she really let them take over her Alola like this?

She would fight to her last breath when it was time, of course, but for now, she could not abuse her magic powers to help them. It rested in the hands of fate, now.

There was a gentle _thump _and Fini narrowed her eyes. Now was really not the time for humans to come challenge her. She moved to seal off the doorway to help temple, but the _thump _came again and she realized it wasn't coming from that direction.

Something was bumping against the wooden planks of her small shrine room.

Expecting another piece of driftwood, she raised an arm slightly and the water level rose to drop off its unexpected visitor.

Her eyebrows went up in surprise to find it was no ordinary piece of driftwood. Driftwood wasn't black and white with three huge tears in its chest.

She leaned over the sorry looking beast, waterlogged and unmoving.

Tapu Fini inspected him carefully, something hitching in her chest when she found no trace of life force within him.

What was she supposed to do?

The god and goddess didn't speak directly to the Tapus, but something was still telling her he was very important.

_Really _important.

Well, the least she could do was stitch him back together and at least make him look somewhat pretty.

Brushing a gentle hand along his chest, she carefully closed the gashes until only faint white scars could be seen.

She closed her eyes, feeling out around her. Disappointment flooded her, surer than the ocean's waves, as not a trace of what she desired was found. And then… something caught her attention. In her mind's eye, it drifted between the barrier of her and unknown, fading out of reach… Fini reached out and tugged hard on the thing. Then it was done.

She was sure that the others wouldn't mind if she only used that tiny bit of magic, but she was already rehearsing what she'd tell Koko when he came yelling to her.

After a few moments of silence, she heard a groaning as the wood planks shifted a bit.

"Wh-where am I? Who are you? Am I dead?"

'_Oops.' Sorry Koko. I guess I used a little _too _much magic. _


	10. FINALE (12)

The slumbering beast still slumped before them, barely moving. The only sign it was a alive was the ever so slight movement of its flickering eyelids.

Lurantis felt as if her legs had frozen to the ground below them. She barely dared to take in a breath for fear of awakening the monster.

Marrow slowly waved her flame back and forth in front of its face, muscles rigid and ready to bolt at the first sign of movement.

After a few more seconds of shocked silence, she breathed, "...Yeah. Asleep. Not dead, though."

Even Avanelle had moved from her hunched over position to stare at the creature.

"So… What do we do?" Drampa asked in a husky voice. "If we stay here, it'll probably eat us. I mean, that whole thing's abdomen just seems to be a gaping mouth, and it's taller than me even if I climbed on Bewear's shoulders. But if we try and run, Xeron…" He looked down at the name.

Soft murmurings of agreement moved around the cavern, hushed more by the growling of the gathering storm.

"Well," Symphony piped up. "I could always poison it, just to be safe. A-and to weaken it. But it might wake up…" He tapped his tentacles together anxiously.

Lurantis's head hurt from thinking about their dilemma. "We could try and reason with him. Xeron, that is. I mean he's not totally insane, is he?"

"Not insane?!" Barked Marrow. "He tossed a still breathing, living being off a cliff to DROWN!"

Lurantis flinched back at the truthfulness in her words. She shook her head again. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know. I just-"

"Ah, I see you've found my _agent,"_ A voice hissed from behind them.

The group whipped around in horror to see Xeron towering over them.

"No matter. It's not like he was a secret, I just didn't have anywhere else to put him." The bored tone had return to his voice.

Marrow glared in his direction and lashed her tail, but said nothing.

"Anyways," he yawned. "I was given orders to keep your mouths shut in a more efficient way. Apparently they think I can't keep prisoners. We have no use for _Alola, _as you call it now, for it will not be that way for much longer, which means we also don't have any use for the information you hold." His invisible gaze raked over each of them.

Fury bubbled inside of Lurantis. He treated them like they were toys or games, something he'd grown bored of and didn't want any more.

Before she could stop herself, she growled, "Yeah, you can't keep prisoners because you don't know how. You threw away the only worthwhile one."

Xeron's lights flashed dangerously.

"I'll think I'll start _shutting your mouths _starting with you."

Lurantis stared at her feet as she walked and tried to keep the shakiness out of her breathing.

Xeron prowled right behind her, keeping her from trying to escape.

The others watched from the edge of the cavern in horror, unable to run with the threat of Xeron's agent still fresh in their minds.

The sky was a dreary gray, storm clouds forming over the horizon and thunder rumbling in the distance. The winds nearly forced her to squint. _How fitting. Dreary and terrible._

They kept walking until Xeron stepped over her and stopped in front of her. That haunting red glow still stuck out against the darkness of the approaching storm.

"You've got quite the temper, haven't you?" He growled to her.

Mustering her courage, she straightened and glared back at him. "I guess I do."

He paused, his tail lashing in anger.

"You do," he muttered under his breath. He paced around her, tail still moving lavishly from side to side.

He finally stopped in front of her, reaching down one claw and placing it under her chin. "It's a real shame, you know. You're a pretty one."

Lurantis flinched away from his touch, disgusted.

"Stay away from me!" she spat. He shrugged.

"If you insist." Xeron turned and walked out to the edge of the cliff, gazing at the roiling sea.

"Xuri," he started.

The name alone made Lurantis tear up a bit. She shook herself and narrowed her eyes in his direction, but his next words caught her horribly off guard. "He never loved you. Not like you love him."

The words struck her in the chest; painfully true.

"Well," she struggled for words. "He didn't love you either, that's for sure!"

She could _feel _Xeron rolling his eyes without actually seeing it.

"Boo-hoo. Is that supposed to hurt? I couldn't care less. Love makes you _weak,_ as you can see." He used his tail to gesture to her.

Lurantis was too enraged to care what he was saying any more.

The rain began to fall, howling through the clearing with nothing to buffer it.

"You know what? He did- he did… love me," Lurantis looked up. "Maybe not how I wanted him to. But he really did. He loved me like a best friend, and that's just as good."

She met Xeron's gaze with a sad smile.

"We can't win 'em all, can we? But I got pretty darn close." Silence greeted her statement.

Xeron slowly walked back around, so that they were no longer facing the cliff. After a few moments, his harsh voice rang out again.

"Wow. Very moving. Puts a whole new spin on the phrase _famous last words._"

And before she could even cry out, he was already moving towards her with his claws bared, electricity sparking from their tips.

"N-No! Please!" Lurantis wailed, stumbling backwards until her feet were linear with the very edge of the cliff.

The winds whipped at gale force now.

Xeron moved towards her at a leisurely pace, as if this were nothing but a nice stroll, taking his time.

Unlike with Xuri and Skylar.

With nowhere left to go, she sank to her knees, pleading.

Lightning forked like a monster's tongue, illuminating Xeron's terrifying silhouette.

He snorted. "I've given you more than enough chances. You didn't even have to come here in the first place. You could've ran when I killed Xuri. You could've-"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Lurantis. "If you're going to do it, why do you do it already? Why do you insist on torturing me?!"

Xeron snickered. "Well, I've got nothing to do but bide my time until the takeover begins, so thought I thought I'd _entertain myself_."

His last words came out as a malicious hiss and Lurantis realized how truly dangerous he was.

She shook her head and mumbled under her breath as the lightning-laced claws resumed their approach, but there was no more she could do. She was about to leap up and face him when lighting lit up the sky behind them, silhouetting a figure standing across the clearing.

Xeron followed her wide-eyed gaze and whipped around, not wanting to be ambushed again, but seemed almost confused at what was standing there.

"Who are you?" he snarled, his voice pushing its way through the roaring winds. "Another agent sent to me? If so, come forward." The figure stepped forward.

Even in the darkness Lurantis could tell this wasn't any agent of Xeron's 'agents,' nor was it one of her brave, stupid friends, risking their lives for another they'd met only days before.

"_XURI!"_

Xuri stood facing Xeron, where he had appeared to be tormenting Lurantis. He heard her cry out before Xeron could even register what was happening.

"WHAT?!" he roared. "B-But I KILLED you! You're DEAD! Why are you here?!"

Xuri didn't waste his energy responding. He had to come up with a way to stop Xeron. But how? This second chance was a blessing he couldn't waste.

He had to do it for everyone- Tapu Fini, his friends, and all the other inhabitants of the islands.

He shook himself and tried to think back to what the deity had shown him.

When he'd woken up, he couldn't even remember who he was. After asking a million questions about what was going on, the striking Tapu had helped him to his feet and shown him a vision in some kind of magic pond.

It had depicted some Pokemon (a word he somehow knew) fighting a creature that looked shockingly identical to him, and after a few moments, it had all flooded back to him.

Xeron.

His friends.

Dying.

Tapu Fini had explained it to him all, and showed him again in the puddle what had happened while he'd been 'in between worlds' and what was happening currently.

She'd told him he was their last chance to save this world, and she had given him her blessing in the form of new life, and that he mustn't waste it.

He'd promised he wouldn't to her, and had been escorted back to the hill by some of her water Pokemon.

As he'd been leaving, she'd been holding her head as if she had a headache, but reassured him she was merely "in trouble with the other Tapus for squandering her power." He hoped she wasn't in _too_ much trouble.

_WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!_ Tapu Koko's furious voice flooded her thoughts, making it hard for her to think at all.

_You don't understand. The islands, the people and Pokemon- everything will be lost without him, _Tapu Fini thought back.

_BULL! _Koko roared inside her head. _IT DOESN'T MATTER! WE WERE GIVEN THESE POWERS AS A BLESSING, AND IF YOU USE THEM SO IDIOTICALLY, WE WON'T HAVE THEM AT ALL! Life and death are SEPARATED for a REASON!_

Fini sighed, picking her words carefully as she thought back, _Don't worry. The sky gods will be bowing at our feet when this is over. _

A few moments of silence, and then, _you'd better hope so. We're going to have to hold a meeting on your punishment._

Then he was gone, their thought link severed. She leaned back her shell, trying not to think about anything and let her head stop pounding. It wasn't long before another voice cut in, however.

_Um, Tapu Fini? _

She sat up again, and thought back _Yes, Lele? _

There was pause, as if Tapu Lele was surprised she'd actually answered.

_If everything okay? I could feel Tapu Koko's anger, and he wasn't even angry at _me.

Fini laughed a little bit out loud.

_Everything's okay. Don't you worry. This'll all be over soon. _

Tapu Lele was obviously confused, but thought back, _Alright. If you say so. _And she was gone too, obviously not wanting to linger.

The Tapu leaned back, finally able to relax knowing Bulu was too lazy and probably didn't care enough to ask anyways. The worry finally caught up to her.

Could Xuri really do this? If not, her punishment wouldn't matter. Alola would be lost.

_Don't fail us, Xuri. We believe in you._

Xuri took a heavy step forward, trying to seem threatening.

Xeron remained motionless.

Lurantis still watched from behind him, her expression a bizarre mixture of excitement and fear.

Xeron scoffed. "You're an idiot. I demolished you with more than ease the first time; it'll be effortless this time."

"Then do it. I'm waiting." Xuri surprised himself with the boldness of his words. He wished he actually felt that boldness.

Xeron growled, his lights pulsing, and readied himself in fighting position, pouncing before anyone could even blink.

Xuri was ready.

_He goes for the neck to pin them down._

As Xeron flew towards him, he ducked, and Xeron missed him entirely, nearly overshooting straight off the hill.

"Huh. You've got a few new tricks, have you?" he growled. More like renewed luck, if anything.

"The Tapus are obviously on my side today," Xuri shot back. As if they'd heard his praise, the skies began to clear, the clouds dissolving into the open air and the sun beaming its fiery rays upon them.

Xeron snorted.

"What does that even mean? Well, not like it matters." He pounced again, from such close range Xuri didn't have time to dodge. He was pinned back against the wall, _again, _horrible memories of pain and fear rushing back. He scrabbled at Xeron with blunt claws, barely putting a dent in his skin.

At such close range, Xuri could see what Xeron had done to himself.

The prongs on his tails looked bent and sharp in a painful way, and all his claws had been sharpened to the point it must have been uncomfortable to move them.

"You've made yourself into a monster," he hissed through the claws. "You don't have to do any of this. Your commander will abandon you as easily as he'll abandon this island. He won't care."

Xeron growled. "You've learned a little more, I see. And you're right. I don't have to. I _choose _to."

He raised his other set of claws and placed them on his chest, dangerously close to Xuri's now sealed wound. However, he didn't rake into it, but rather push down until the tears began to rip open again from the pressure.

Trying not gasp in pain, Xuri looked down and saw he could _see _tiny bolts of electricity leaping back and forth inside the half-reopened slashes.

Xeron looked back up at him when he saw he hadn't protested in the slightest. "Fine. You don't care about yourself, do you? Well, I'm sure you care about your friends."

He arched his tail above their heads, slamming it down into the rock shelf next to Xuri and dragging it painstakingly across the wall, causing an awful screeching noise.

As if the noise had broke the trance of some ancient monster, a screaming roar echoed around the island, coming from deep inside the cavern where the others were being held.

Screaming erupted, and his friends pushed over themselves to escape whatever horror was in there with them.

Marrow emerged dragging Avanelle and stared in shock across the clearing.

"Xuri?!" Everyone rushed out behind them, eyes widen and hearts filled with hope. For a moment, everything disappeared. Their Xuri was alive.

And then the moment was broken by the stomping from deep in the cave, making the loose rocks jump with every step.

They all turned and shouted in fear at whatever was coming, running back away towards where Skylar was still motionless.

Xuri winced. He'd tried his hardest not to look in that direction ever since he'd arrived back here. Now wasn't the time for feeling bad, though.

The top of the cavern was bulging as if it couldn't contain whatever was within it.

With a _CRACK, _the top was smashed to bits by two black, snapping claws. Out in the open stood the beast, towering over even Xeron, eyes ringed with madness and fury, slavering at the jaws, ready to devour whoever stood in its way.

Xeron laughed in that maddening way, and pointed towards the huddled group.

"_GET THEM!" _he screeched, and the monster obeyed, raging towards them.

Marrow was the first to move, grabbing Avanelle again as the first pair of claws smashed right down where they'd been standing.

Lurantis was back on her feet from where she'd been cowering, whipping her head back and forth in deciding to try and save Xuri or help the others.

"Help them!" Xuri choked through Xeron's claws.

Lurantis nodded at him and bolted off to aid the others. She quickly summoned vines and wrapped them around one of the larger claws, pulling as hard as she could to bring it off balance.

The beast whipped to face her, easily snapping the vines. Snarling, it reached out to grab her before it was intercepted by Bewear, who grabbed the claw and forcing it against the outer wall of the collapsed cavern.

As he struggled, Lurantis shouted, "What are you doing?! Don't just stand there!" The remaining four shook themselves and rushed forward to help, flaming, freezing, and roaring alike.

Xuri continued to tussle with Xeron, but he could tell he just wasn't trying. He seemed more focused on the other battle, only clawing Xuri once or twice and mostly just keeping him at bay.

The other fight, however, was raging.

Drampa continued to throw fiery blasts, mostly just slowing down the towering monster.

Lurantis and Avanelle continued to try and disable the claws, but they were able to break free from every vine restraint or ice attack. Bewear tried to throw punches, but since most of the enemy was covered in spikes it wasn't working out too well.

Marrow stayed back at a distance, tensed against the ground, but Xuri wasn't sure why. She'd always been a fighter- was she just waiting for an opening? There was no time to ponder it.

Xeron had suddenly increased the intensity of his attacks. Xuri had to roll quickly to avoid a lick of lightning aimed at his head. He could see the others were fading as well.

Xeron and his agent were winning a battle of stamina. It was now or never. They had to push with all their might or it was over.

He threw a disarming blow at Xeron, slamming into the side of his head and giving him enough time to scramble to his feet.

"HURRY!" he yelled, voice hoarse.

They all turned to him for a split second as if to acknowledge they'd heard him and then returned to the fight.

"We have to work together!" Drampa bellowed. "Lurantis! Bewear! You take one arm! Avanelle! Help me with the other!"

Symphony hung back, unsure what to do. He turned to Xuri and Xeron tussling, and Xuri could see an idea forming in his mind.

_Not Symphony!_

If his approach was to go stealthily, he didn't do a very good job of it.

Xeron saw him coming and slammed an arm into him as soon as he got within range, Symphony fell and rolled, groaning, to the side. The beast hissed and shook his arm out. Xuri squinted through his fast fading vision to try and see what was wrong.

It was only then he noticed that Symphony's tentacles were still slightly discolored and purple.

He'd poisoned Xeron!

New strength flooded him as he bounced over and pinned down Xeron.

Xeron snarled in surprise and slammed a claw into Xuri's head. He yelped in pain. The element of surprise had been much too brief.

But the blows were becoming weaker, ever so slightly, giving Xuri a chance to turn a little bit of focus back to the other war.

Lurantis and Bewear had successfully used their vines and brute strength to pin down one arm. Avanelle and Drampa were shooting ice at the other, slowly freezing it to the ground. Suddenly, the tides had turned. The monster was immobilized.

And finally, Marrow moved. She broke into a sprint, heading straight for the pinned down beast- and right past it. Was she running away, after all this? But instead, she leapt deftly up the mound of rocks than had been the cavern walls behind it and leapt into the air.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Marrow brought forth her flames, and on her arc downwards, plunged the flames straight into the monster's face.

Its scream could only be described as pure pain. The monster was blinded and trapped, flailing as best it could but failing to cause any damage.

Xeron had actually to stopped fighting to watch in horror. However, one part was still moving freely, the smaller pair of arms tipped with deadly looking claws on top of the beast.

They were thrashing wildly, and she was still atop the beast.

"GET DOWN, MARROW!" screeched Lurantis, seeing it as well.

Marrow looked up to see them watching, but too late.

One of the claws had connected with her outer skull and clamped down as hard as possible. She gasped as she was lifted into the air, one claw sliding down enough to stab into one of the holes in the skull she used to see out of, giving it a place to hold.

There was an awful _CRACK _and a wail and the thing threw Marrow down onto the ground.

Avanelle cried out and rushed to Marrow's unmoving figure.

The shock had loosened everyone's grip, and the beast was free once more, throwing Bewear and snapping Lurantis's vines, then using that arm to crush the ice on its other.

Xuri shook himself in despair. He had one more crazy idea, but it might work.

Lurantis looked in his direction, utterly lost, but suddenly there was a moment of quiet and a sudden connection between them, just for a split second.

_End it. _

Lurantis ran to the beast's face, where the other pair of eyes could still somewhat see them, and shouted, "Hey, you big, DUMB, IDIOT! OVER HERE!"

Something like hurt flashed in the monster's eyes- a moment of sentience?- and then was replaced by that ringed rage as it roared it anger and began to barrel towards her, and she was running towards Xuri and Xeron, and Xeron was so caught up with trying to fight off Xuri and everything fell into motion. Lurantis dived out of the way at the last moment and as the beast began to realize what was happening it tried to stop, digging its feet into the ground and slamming down its tail, but its momentum was too great.

Xuri leapt out of the way, towards Lurantis, and Xeron could only watch in horror, too weak from the poison, as the monster bore down on him.

Everyone watched in absolute shock as the creature slammed into the wall, and thus into to Xeron.

There was complete silence for the longest few seconds of Xuri's life.

Suddenly, with a great groan, the huge, black and yellow beast began to move. "Owww… Everything hurts. Leg, ow, tail, ow, _face, OW…" _

After dusting itself off, the beast turned and looked in shock to see the group staring. He frowned for a moment. "Didn't your mothers teach you it's rude to stare?"

Lurantis grunted and muttered, "Didn't your mother teach you it's rude to try and kill people?"

He snorted. "My name's Blitz. It's very nice to meet you too." Blitz surveyed the area. "I hope this isn't an inconvenient question, where am I, and who are you people? That last thing I was remember was someone who looked an awful lot like you doing… something." He pointed to Xuri. "It's… so foggy…"

The giant dragon shook himself, eyes squinted nearly closed in concentration.

Xuri and Lurantis exchanged a shocked look.

"Time out," Lurantis called and hissed to Xuri, "How can we trust this guy? He was literally trying to crush us not a whole minute ago and now he's acting really polite."

Xuri stared closer at Blitz's eyes. The rings had disappeared.

"Lurantis," he started. "The rings in his eyes are gone. I think… I think Xeron was controlling him. And now…"

He nodded to the crumpled, motionless form of Xeron beneath Blitz. Lurantis's eyes widened.

"Xuri, do you know what this means?"

He nodded.

We did it, Lurantis. We've won."


	11. FINALE (22)

Hope dared to fill Xuri's chest for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

"Wait," Lurantis stopped him as he moved forwards. "What about Xeron?"

The seemingly lifeless figure was still unmoving behind Blitz.

At the mention of the name, Blitz stopped looking around bemusedly and turned to look down at Xeron. He growled and took a step back, making the ground shudder ever so slightly.

"It was _him," _he growled.

Lurantis and Xuri hurried forward to stand beside the obviously agitated beast.

Looking at him now, Xuri felt something almost like pity. But not quite. He looked weak and tiny; his red aura had disappeared, and along with it most of his intimidating posterior. A few of his painfully sharpened claws were bent back in unnatural positions.

Lurantis shook her head. "He deserved it," she growled quietly. "If he's dead, then it's for the be-"

She was cut short when Xeron gave the tiniest stir from the ground. With a small whimper, he sat up as best he could, looking up at the three.

With a heavy snarl, Blitz lashed out with one of his bigger claws and clamped it around Xeron, lifting him up into the air as he squirmed.

"Put me down!" yelped Xeron. "I demand it! Why aren't you listening to me?!"

Blitz rumbled again in response.

Turning to Xuri and Lurantis, he assured, "I'll hold him. He can't control me anymore. He's too weak."

He then turned to where the rest of the Pokemon were huddled. "Go to them."

Nodding in thanks, the two back and way and rushed towards the group.

"What's going on?" Xuri asked.

Bewear looked up at him with intense worry in his eyes. Drampa looked down, somber, to where Avanelle and Marrow were crouched.

Or rather, where Avanelle was holding Marrow's body.

Lurantis stared on in horror and Xuri felt his lights flashing. If Xeron had killed her, he was going to-

"Avanelle, dear," whispered Drampa, his voice quiet and husky. "I think… I think…" He looked away, unable to finish his sentence.

Xuri stepped over the crowd and knelt with Avanelle. Looking at Marrow, he saw the outer skull had a crack running through one of the eye sockets, a purple liquid trickling out. She seemed unscatched otherwise.

Could they save her?

Avanelle was crying again, whispering, "no, it's my fault, no…"

Xuri leaned back a little, unsure of what to do. Losing Marrow hurt more than any set claws through the heart. Avanelle hugged Marrow a little tighter, and in the subtlest movement one of Marrow's paws moved ever-so-slightly towards Avanelle's paws.

Everyone gasped.

There was a sudden wheezing noise, and then a weak voice. "Jeez… loosen up a little. I can barely breathe."

Avanelle's eyes widened with delight. "You're _alive!" _she cried out, moving to hug Marrow again, but was stopped short when Marrow began to cough.

The group watched in shock as the purple liquid began to solidify into sharp points with each racking breath. It wasn't long before the entire socket was obscured by mesmerizing violet crystals.

"Ow!" Marrow let out a sharp cry of pain.

Avanelle pulled back, her ears flattening.

"What's going on?" Marrow's voice was filled with confusion and poisoned with an almost never-present fear . "I-I can't see out of this eye-" she reached up to touch it and recoiled, instead feeling the pinpricks of the points of the crystals.

Bewear reached down and guided her gently towards a puddle that had formed from the storm. Marrow gasped at her reflection.

Avanelle shuffled up and stood next to her, their watery reflections wavering side by side. "Well," she sniffed. "You kinda look like me now. Spiky."

Marrow smiled. "I guess I do. But purple is way cooler than blue." The mischievous tone was already returning to her voice.

Lurantis bounced from one foot to the other anxiously. "Um, touching, but shouldn't we find someone who can treat you?"

Marrow shook herself. "I'll be fine." She turned and gave Xuri a questioning look. "But Xuri over here is short circuiting."

Everyone turned to look at Xuri, who had sparks flying from his chest.

"I-I'm fine! But what are we going to do with Xeron?"

Everyone turned again to face Xeron and Blitz, who shrugged in return.

"Wait! Actually," Xuri started. "Tapu Fini showed me some stuff, and apparently Xeron was waiting for a wormhole to open so he could summon more beasts through and take over Alola-"

"Wait, you were with _Tapu Fini?!"_ Marrow asked incredulously.

"Long story! Now's not the time! But if we wait here until midnight, apparently when this portal's supposed to open, we could throw him back in!"

"But what's to stop him from getting stronger and coming back here again?" Drampa chimed in.

"I'll go with him," Blitz rumbled. The group muttered in shock.

"But you were just freed from him! And what if he-" started Lurantis before she was cut off again.

"No. I don't belong here. I've caused too much damage already. I'm sure most of you don't want me here anyways." His eyes shifted guiltily from Marrow to Avanelle. "I can return to my true home and create a prison for Xeron. I will not let him escape, and if he does, I will throw away my own life to recapture him."

Xeron, who had been silent, being to struggle. "No! You can't do that! Just- let- me- go!"

"You're right," Marrow's voice rang out. She had gotten back to her feet. "He's right. We can't return him. Not until we get some information out of him."

A few minutes later, Lurantis was on Bewear's shoulders face to face with an upside-down Xeron who was dangling mere inches from Blitz's gaping jaws.

Xuri was standing by Skylar, trying to find signs of life but not sure where to look. He sighed forlornly.

"So, tell me," Lurantis began. "Who are these _agents _you speak of?"

Xeron writhed in Blitz's grasp. "Why do you care?" he snapped back.

Lurantis sighed.

Blitz lowered Xeron slowly, until he finally cried out, "Lorelei! Lorelei and Gary. She was tall and thin, with antenna. He was… very muscular. Bright red. And then this blundering idiot." He gestured as well as he could at Blitz.

"The other two went willingly with the plan, but _he _refused to. I had to take control of him. Our kind has long-dormant hypnotic powers, as I was informed by my commander. However, due to a wormhole discrepancy, glutton here was the only one to touch down on the islands." He tried to hold his head up defiantly.

Lurantis paused, trying to think of a comeback to his snappy attitude.

However, her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden "_XERON!" _Somebody was crashing through the bushes. Xuri whipped around, poised to fight even though his chest was still flickering wildly. "I'M GOING TO-"

The angry voice finally plunged through the bushes. Standing there was a dragon-like figure with rounded features and dripping some kind of slime. Her back was yellow while her front was pink, with purple spots along her tail and the sides of her face. Her eyes flicked from Lurantis on Bewear's shoulders, to Blitz, to Skylar, and back to Blitz.

"Uh, you guys look busy. Anyone know who Xeron is?"

"Melanie?" Xeron gasped in shock.

Everyone's heads whipped back and forth between the Pokemon and the beast. Lurantis rolled her eyes, quickly taking charge.

"Grab her," she snapped to Avanelle and Drampa, who were standing closest.

Melanie was fast, darting out of the way and slamming her tail into the side of Avanelle's head. Drampa snarled and clamped his fangs down on her arm.

"Let go, gramps!" She growled, struggling.

Bewear, with Lurantis still perched on his shoulders, walked over to stare down at their captive. "Who are you? Xeron's girlfriend or something?"

"I am NOT his girlfriend!" Melanie roared in unison with Xeron's "I am NOT her boyfriend!"

She tore her arm free from Drampa, giving him a look so sour it could turn fresh fruit. "Look lady, I'm totally against this idiot, and it looks like you all are too. He knocked up my brother pretty good. I was chasing him down for _revenge purposes only_."

Xeron looked the slightest bit hurt at Melanie's antagonizing comment.

"Wait, how exactly do you know Xeron? I'm kind of lost," Marrow butted in, trotting up to them. Xuri shook himself and hurried to the small group forming in the clearing.

Melanie grunted. "Basically he showed up one day, saw us plundering a ship at the port and thought we were _so cool _and that he just had to talk to us. Er, us being me and Ace, my brother."

She glared at Xeron again. "Anyways, we both found out our one thing in common- we wanted the humans out." She made a sweeping motion with her arm. "He told me that this commander of his had the same idea, and we could join forces with my knowledge of the land and his army to liberate Alola from humans, which sounds just dandy until he _betrayed me!_"

She had sat down at some point during her story, but now stood back up and pointed in an accusatory manner at Xeron. He stared down at his lashing tail to avoid her furious gaze. Xuri could've sworn he'd seen some color rush into the beast's face.

"Ace didn't trust him, and he was right not to. When Ace was alone, Xeron attacked him, bashed his head against a rock. I just… hope I can save him," she trailed off.

Xuri flexed his claws unconsciously. Melanie's story only made him hate Xeron more. If she was even telling the truth.

Lurantis paused, looking embarrassed. "Well, uh, sorry for attacking you. You can just never be to safe, huh? Heh…" She looked away too.

"Sorry to cut this heartfelt moment short, but..." Blitz's rumbling voice rang out. "We might have bigger problems."

Melanie was the first to follow his gaze out to the edge of the cliff, tensing in alarm.

"Okay, you're the ones who know what's going on with all these aliens," she hissed. "So what the heck is that?"

Xuri whipped around, carefully moving past Skylar, to see what everyone else was staring at. He registered her presence with a sharp twang in his heart. It was just one thing after another. He'd go to her next.

_Great. Just GREAT._

A wormhole was slowly tearing open above the raging waters far below. The Pokemon all immediately went into a panic.

"They're sending more!" Avanelle wailed. "How are we going to beat _more?_ We could hardly beat two!"

Marrow, on the other hand, kept her cool. "Everyone stop for a minute!" she shouted, her commanding voice ringing through the area. The chaos ceased at the sound of her voice.

She pointed towards Xeron, who seemed incredibly uncomfortable at the fact Melanie was standing on guard right beside him and occasionally shooting him looks dirtier than a landfill.

"If you all had been listening to this twig-brain, you'd know that this is the wormhole _he's_ supposed to shout down into to signal whatever army's down there that it's safe."

Lurantis perked up. "Oh! So we just tell him to tell them to call it off!"

"It's not going to work like that," Melanie snapped. "You really trust him not to tell them all to come flooding through there?"

Biltz stomped one foot on the ground, making the whole cliffside shudder. They all stopped bickering and turned towards him.

"Somebody has to go down there with him. If they see he's been captured, they'll most likely all scatter," he rumbled.

Everyone began to mutter and whisper.

"Alright, wise guy, who are you going to send down there?" Marrow challenged. The crystals masking her face were glinting in the waxing moonlight. "Whoever goes down isn't going to be able to get back up."

Blitz sighed. "Me."

Xuri tensed.

"Blitz, you can't do that!" cried Lurantis. "You-you just got back here! You weren't even yourself until a few hours ago!"

His eyes darkened. "I've done too much harm here already," he growled, his gaze flicking over them and their various injuries, some which had been inflicted with his own claws. "I'm not wanted here. My presence will only cause more pain." He grimaced.

Avanelle stepped forward timidly. She was still terrified by the appearance of the beast, but she steeled herself and looked up to where he towered over her.

"Blitz…" she started, her voice squeaking. Embarrassed, she stopped and tried again. "Blitz, I know you're not really a bad guy. It wasn't your fault that you hurt Marrow, or any of us. That nasty Xeron was controlling you. You're punishing yourself for something you didn't do. We can and will forgive you."

Marrow nodded from the small crowd. Collecting her bravery, Avanelle shuffled forward further and patted one of his claws gently.

Blitz paused, feeling moved and at a loss for what to say.

Xuri finally took a deep breath and stepped forward. All the attention shifted to him. "You don't have to do this," he told Blitz. "I know we can figure something out, we just need a little time-"

"We don't have time. They'll be getting restless," Blitz growled. He turned and started towards the cliff.

Shouts of protest erupted. Avanelle ran forward and tried to grab his tail, but it was three times the size of her and she could barely wrap her claws around the thinnest part. Lurantis jogged alongside him, pleading, trying to convince him there was some other way. He finally reached the portal with Xeron still limp in his grasp.

Xuri dashed after him, covering the distance easily with long strides. "Don't!" he gasped, nearly out of breath.

For the first time, Blitze seemed conflicted about his decision. After a moment, clarity finally reached his clouded eyes and he cracked a smile down at Xuri.

"Hey, you don't have to worry. There's something special about you, y'know? You're different from any other beast I've met, and I've known many in my time. Something tells me we'll meet again."

It was Xuri's turn to be at a loss for words. He tried to say something, thank him or question him, just _anything; _but it was too late.

The end of Blitz's tail disappeared through the wormhole.

Xuri stood motionless except for the tip of his tail, flicking incessantly, watching as the portal grew smaller and smaller until it was nothing but a pinprick of light and then zipped out of existence.

The was a sudden thump behind him, and he turned to see Marrow had collapsed on the ground. Melanie, who had been so silent Xuri had momentarily forgot about her, was kneeling beside her, looking concerned.

"Fever," she announced, urgency in her voice. She hefted Marrow into her arms, handing the bone to Avanalle, who scuttled obediently to her side. "Come to my camp. I know a lot just happened, but I should be able to help her." Her sarcastic manner was immediately washed away as she disappeared into the bushes.

Bewear and Drampa hurried after their companions side by side, and Lurantis made to go after them until she realized Xuri hadn't moved.

"Aren't you coming?"

He looked unsure. "I don't want to leave Skylar here."

There was no chance they'd be able to move her- she was nearly double even Xuri's size.

Lurantis hesitated a moment longer before nodding in understanding. "Okay. I'll come back and tell you what's happening." Then she was gone, too.

The moon was peeking over the sea's horizon when Lurantis returned.

Xuri had been sitting cross-legged (as best he could) facing Skylar, but got to his feet and moved to meet Lurantis.

"Marrow was under so much stress and pain that she collapsed earlier," she informed him. "She's better now- but they're debating what to do about those crystals. They could either leave them in, or try and break them off. Melanie doesn't know how deeply the crystals are embedded, so she doesn't want to risk maiming her. Those crystals might reach all the way up to her brain. Who knows."

Xuri nodded in understanding of the dire situation.

"And, uh, Melanie told me to give you this." She held out a bundle of herbs in front her.

Xuri picked up one of the sticky, rubber-like leaves. "What's it for?"

"It's supposed to help with your chest. Stick it over the tears and it should… neutralize the electricity? I dunno, really. Something medicine-y."

That made Xuri laugh a little. "Well, tell Melanie thank you. Are you going back?"

Lurantis nodded. "For a little. I'll be back though. Promise," she said with a small smile.

She was back before the moon had reached its highest point.

This time they sat with their legs dangling over the ocean cliff. Xuri was surprised he had the courage to get this close after the previous disastrous events that had taken place here.

They sat in comfortable silence until Lurantis asked, "Hey Xuri?"

"Yeah?"

"This is really weird, but uh… I used to like you."

Xuri cocked his head. "Wait- you don't like me anymore?" Did he do something wrong? Great. One more thing to worry about.

Lurantis shook her head, flustered. "No! I do like you! As a friend, though."

_Oohh. _That _kind of like. _

"Well, uh, I'm sorry. I don't really feel that way."

"Don't worry. I'm totally over you now." She flipped her antennae nonchalantly, but then paused and flushed slightly "Er, no offense. Wait, that sounded like an insult but I didn't mean it that way- I still want to be friends, I just don't want you to think it was weird-"

Xuri chuckled. "Nah, don't worry. And none taken."

She glanced over at him with a small grin. "I mean, how could you _not _love _this?" _She kicked his leg.

Xuri laughed again. "Hmm, maybe because _this _tried to kill me the first time it saw me." He kicked her back gently.

Lurantis smiled wider. "Well, I'm glad we can be friends. Best friends."

"The bestest."

"That's not a word."

"Hmm, well, it is now."

They sat with their legs swinging over the ocean, giant waves sometimes catching them in their misty spray.

Lurantis finally stood up. "Melanie told me to be back by midnight. Are you sure you don't want to come?"

Xuri looked at Skylar's motionless figure, framed by shadow and moonlight. "Yeah. Maybe I'll come in the morning."

Lurantis rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. "See you tomorrow, then." This time, she waved as she disappeared into the bushes.

He was disappointed to see her leave. He'd never loved someone, and he certainly hadn't thought anyone loved _him. _Well, used to love him, at least.

But he was grateful for the shift in energy between them- even those few minutes on the cliff had felt so nice and comfortable in a true best-friend way.

Xuri wandered back towards Skylar after Lurantis left. One of her massive arms still lay tipped over on the ground like a massive fallen tree, the other leaning against the cliffside. He knew that even when she was sleeping, her arms still levitated at her sides. Could that possibly mean…?

He shook his head, not wanting to believe it.

Rustling in the bushes interrupted Xuri's mourning. Was Lurantis back already? Their footsteps sounded heavier than hers, though, whoever it was.

A few moments later, Melanie shoved her way through the bushes. She was wearing some kind of sack strapped across her back and looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"Go home, kid," she grunted. "Uh, at least to our camp."

"But Skylar-" Xuri began to protest, but she cut him off.

"I know. Lurantis told me. I'm here to help her so you can go rest easy. You just battled your demonic twin brother and said goodbye to someone who could've been a powerful ally." He really hoped she was referring to Blitz and not Skylar.

He paused to contemplate. He didn't want to leave her, but Melanie was obviously skilled in the practices of healing. Skylar was in good hands, even if they were gooey.

He sighed dejectedly. "Okay. Come get me if anything happens though."

"Will do, captain."

He turned and headed back the way he'd seen Lurantis and Melanie come from, finding an easy trail to follow hollowed out by the footprints of the others. He followed it a ways longer until he saw a small, flickering light off the side, surrounded by bushes. Pressing his way through, he found all of his friends sitting around a campfire.

Everyone looked so… _happy. _It was just like the boat ride to Poni. Marrow looked like she was becoming exponentially better; she was laughing and shooting bits of flames into the fire every time its flickers became uneasy. Avanelle was pressed close to her side, her head resting on Marrow's shoulder, not saying much but still radiating joy and relief. Drampa lay next to Avanelle, crunching on something sweet-smelling and Bewear sat silently and stoically next to Marrow as if he were a fuzzy guardian angel. Lurantis was lounging a little bit farther over, looking more relaxed than he'd ever seen her.

Across from them sat a Pokemon that looked shockingly identical to Melanie- the only difference was that his smooth skin was garnished in shades of purple and green instead of yellow and pink. He had a leaf bandage wrapped around his head, which made Xuri immediately assume this was Ace and the bandage was concealing the wound Xeron had given him.

Ace was the first one to see him. The dragon stood up and snarled, eyes flashing with anger.

_Why is he-_ It hit Xuri harder than any claws ever had. Ace thought he _was _Xeron. "No, wait-" he stammered, but a "Xuri!" snapped the tension in half.

Avanelle sat up, her eyes shining. Ace observed the encounter and stepped back, sitting down with a _thumpf _that cause dust to cloud up around him. Soon the other six were nearly trampling him as they surrounded him, laughing and cheering and hugging.

"That's my boy!" chuffed Drampa, giving him a hearty slap on the back. Bewear hugged him- much more gently this time. Symphony appeared seemingly out of nowhere, laughing as he rested atop Xuri's head. Xuri laughed too, hugging them all closer.

"I'm so glad everyone's safe!" They all cheered in agreement.

A sharp throat-clearing sound rang from behind them. The rest of the beasts and Pokemon parted to reveal Ace striding toward them.

"You must be Xuri," he stated, holding out a paw for him to shake. Xuri took it and Ace shook it firmly, cracking a tiny smile. "It's nice to meet you. Sorry if I seemed aggressive before. You resemble Xeron... very closely."

Xuri shook his head. "I don't blame you. It's okay."

He felt a tug and looked down to see Marrow holding up a carved wooden bowl full of the same sweet-smelling stuff Drampa had been eating.

"Eat, idiot. You're going to drop dead from that before anything else." That sounded like the Marrow he knew.

Taking it, he sat down next to where Symphony was floating. He stood back up nearly as quickly as he realized something huge was missing.

"Guys! I can't believe I almost forgot about this, but-" he leaned down and pulled Symphony to his height- "Symphony…" He faltered. Everyone was silent, their eyes glued to the two of them.

_What a great time to remember you suck at giving speeches._

"Symphony is really the hero. He poisoned Xeron, and that was how we ended up getting him into place. Without him, we all might…"

He trailed off again with a shudder.

"I just want you all to remember, we should appreciate everybody here. They all do so much."

He was quiet now, embarrassed unable to think of anything else to say.

Avanelle was the first to leap to her feet and rush to Symphony, giving him a massive hug. Everyone else followed the suit, and he began to blush a faint periwinkle.

Ace, who had been watching with a faint smile, moved forward and started to peel away the leaves on Xuri's chest. "Really, Melanie? Sloppy craftsmanship. What a goo-brain."

Xuri swished his tail in embarrassment. "Uh, don't blame her. I put them on myself."

Ace shrugged. "Doesn't make it any less sloppy," he teased with a grin. He peeled it back a little farther until a stray spark caught his paw. "Okay, we should really do something about that," he yelped, shaking his paw out.

"Tapu Fini!" Xuri perked up. "She'll be able to fix me!"

Ace scrunched up his nose. "Well, the problem is, she got in trouble for bringing you back to life." Xuri realized the others must've told him what had happened. "The other Tapus voted to put power restraints on her for using them unwisely, or so they say. News travels fast- we found out while you were still at the cliffside."

Xuri slumped a little bit again.

"But not to worry!" Ace added quickly. "I might be able to stitch you up, at least temporarily, until we find a better solution." He pushed himself to his feet and trotted over to a hollowed out tree trunk lined with supplies, and retreated holding a large bag.

Lurantis frowned. "How'd you get those? Only humans can make that stuff."

Ace flashed a smile. "I have my ways," he said mysteriously. "Now, lie back. This'll probably hurt. A lot. Just warning you."

And it did. Ace had literally stitched him up. Apparently that was what humans had to do since they didn't have magical deities that could bring them back to life and stuff.

He lay next to the dying campfire, no more than a few cinders now. His chest felt uncomfortably tight, but Xuri knew it was only because of how long it had been torn. Everyone else had drifted off to sleep, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

What would happen to Xeron? And Blitz?

Would Melanie be able to help Skylar?

What about the agents that hadn't made it to Alola?

And… stars, he was exhausted…

His thoughts were swept away when someone hissed, "Xuri! Come here! Your iron giantess is waking up." He was on his feet and moving towards the sound of Melanie's voice before she was even finished.

They were moving quickly down the trail back towards the sea cliff as Melanie began to explain. "She should've died from that shock Xeron gave her, if your friends' stories are telling the truth. But somehow, she lived. Went into some kind of… coma. I'm still not entirely sure."

Xuri didn't care if she came floating down on a pair of wings, as long as she was alive. It wasn't long before they emerged into the clearing.

Melanie slowed and took a deep breath as they continued to trek forward. "Xuri, I should warn you," she started.

The sentence sent a trickle of dread down his back. But she was being fair.

"There might be possible side effects of being in a… dormant state for so long. I'm not sure exactly," she continued.

Xuri nodded, anxiety rising. Skylar would be alright. She was strong willed, and had an iron fist. Literally. He scolded himself internally. Now wasn't the time for puns.

Finally, they came to stand in front of Skylar. Her eyes were closed, but her towering arms had returned to their hovering state. She was breathing gently, the rise and fall of her chest nearly matching the crashing of the waves far, far below.

Melanie stepped forward and put an arm gently on Skylar's. "Are you awake?"

Skylar shifted, something rumbling. Slowly, her eyes opened, blinked once, and looked groggily between the two standing below her. Even Xuri was only a bit over half of her height.

"Skylar?" he breathed, not wanting to disturb the feeling hanging in the air. She continued to switch her gaze between the two of them. Maybe she hadn't heard him.

"Skylar?" he tried again a bit louder. This time she turned to stare at him, but there was something blank in her expression.

_No. Please, no._ He continued to look up at her, feeling his claws shaking and his lights flickering dimly with fear he couldn't control, ten times worse than anything Xeron had ever stirred within him.

After a moment, she blinked again in surprise.

"Oh," she started, her deeper voice cutting the air. "Are you talking to me?"

Xuri sank down, unable to control his horror and fear. "Skylar," he pleaded again. "Your name is Skylar. Y-you have to remember that much."

She still looked confused. "I… I'm sorry, I don't. Who are you?" The words shattered something deep in Xuri. He buried his face in his claws, a sob hitching in his chest.

He felt the warmth of Melanie's paws on his back, trying to comfort him. "It's- it's okay, Xuri, it's gonna be okay. We'll find something, maybe we just need to jog her memory."

The shell of Skylar continued to stare down at them confusedly, but though her memory had escaped her, her smarts had not.

"Oh," she gasped. "Y-you knew me, didn't you? I lost my memory… didn't I?"

Xuri couldn't talk to her. This wasn't Skylar.

Melanie stepped in for him. "Yes. You were… one of his best friends." She choked out the last sentence. "But you're not to blame. Someone terrible did this to you."

He could feel the truth in her words. It wasn't right to take it out on her. But this wasn't Skylar anymore. Melanie took another breath and said something that made Xuri want to claw her.

"His name was Xeron. If anybody, you might remember him." Xeron?! If anyone, what about Xuri, or Blade, or Symphony, or anybody but that terrible-

His storm of thoughts stopped when he saw something flash in her eyes. Only for a second. Had he imagined it?

She squeezed her eyes shut as if she was trying very hard to remember. "I thought-" Skylar broke off almost immediately. "No. It's gone."

Xuri pushed himself to his feet, nearly knocking over Melanie on his way up. "Xuri," he told her. "I'm Xuri. You must remember me, right?" Her eyes stayed the same.

She shook her head forlornly. "I'm so sorry."

He didn't know how much more he could take. Turning, he walked back into the bushes, back to Ace and Melanie's camp.

In the morning, everyone sat quietly around the faintly burning cinders of last night's bonfire. Xuri figured Melanie had told them all what happened as he'd lay near the edge of the camp, tuning out the murmurs and sad-eyed glances in his direction.

He couldn't go out to the cliff, because _she _was there, and she wasn't Skylar. Not anymore. He couldn't even bring himself to confide in Lurantis. As the sun climbed higher in Alola's skies, everyone dispersed to get to their own business, whatever that was, or at least look busy.

Melanie finally approached him around midday and gently asked him to follow her. Grudgingly, he stood up and went after her. After they'd walked for a while, Xuri finally realized she was taking him back to the cliff through a detour.

He refused to move another step until Melanie snapped, "This isn't fair Xuri. We could help her but you're just shutting her out. We need you. You can't take out your feelings on her." Her tail lashed in frustration. She recomposed herself quickly. "I talked to her a little while you were moping. Just… listen to what she has to say. Alright?"

Xuri grudgingly took one step forward, then another, until he was moving alongside Melanie once again. Like before, they emerged into the clearing side by side, Skylar off to their side.

_Hopefully it doesn't end like before, though. _

Skylar turned to them with a determined look set on her face. "Xuri, Melanie told me what happened. What she knew from you and everyone else. Symphony…?" She trailed off as if she was trying to remember the names Melanie had given her.

He nodded at the mention of Symphony's name.

She looked relieved. "Well, I'm going to try as hard as I can to remember. For everyone's sake. Will you- would you let me help you?" There was something nervous but hopeful in her voice. It really, really sounded like Skylar. She was still in there somewhere.

Xuri nodded again. "We all want you back more than anything else."

Skylar looked thrilled. "Thank you so much, Xuri! I want me back, too."

Even though she'd learned his name again from Melanie, he felt hopeful as well that she could remember that much.

"We should find Blade," she continued. "I was close to him, even if he wasn't the kindest. Maybe he didn't go far. I don't really remember what happened still."

Xuri's attention was focused less on Blade's location and more on something else. He couldn't care less about Blade anyways.

"How'd you know about Blade?" he asked Melanie.

She stared back at him in confusion. "I have no idea who you guys are talking about." Her gaze suddenly became wide-eyed. "Wait, does that mean-"

"You remember!" Xuri cried out.

For a moment, Skylar looked confused, but it soon cleared. "I- I do! My brain feels a tiny bit less foggy, all of a sudden."

Xuri looked down at Melanie with excitement. "This means her memory's coming back!"

Melanie nodded, eyes sparkling. "Remembering an entire Pokemon- er, beast, that is, is a huge step forward in recovery. At this rate, she'll be back before we know it."

Xuri could feel tiny sparks popping in his chest, but didn't want to look down to see if literally or figuratively and spoil the mood.

Melanie had already gone back into her thinking mode. "We should bring Skylar back to camp. More exposure to you and Symphony should speed along this process. Symphony told me you all grew up together, right?"

Xuri nodded emphatically. Even he could barely remember those times, though- hopefully he wouldn't have to tell any memory-jogging stories.

"Let's go, then," Skylar's voice broke his thoughts. "I'd like meet Symphony again."

The camp erupted once they returned. Skylar's grace had not escaped her; she still carefully moved around the outer edges of the camp without trouble.

Avanelle seemed thoroughly shocked to see Skylar animated, and Marrow also looked on with a sense of reverence.

Ace greeted her politely, but kept his distance. Melanie teased him about being intimidated by her size, which earned her a tail thwack, which earned _him _a tail thwack, which finally escalated into a tussle.

Drampa chuffed with laughter. "Siblings! What fun they are," he grinned.

Bewear was silent as always, sticking close to Marrow like a fluffy guard once again.

Symphony swam through the air to greet Skylar, but her huge gasp stopped him short. "Wait! I know you! Don't tell me… You look so familiar…" She squinted at him with a half frown of concentration. "SYMPHONY!" She finally cried out.

Symphony was ecstatic. "That's me!" He hugged Skylar as best he could.

Lurantis smiled at the two. "This is great! Looks like she's already remembering you guys." Xuri nodded, but an odd sense of unease had replaced his good mood.

Lurantis noticed with a frown. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy for her?"

"Of course I am. But, she remembers Blade, who she hasn't even seen yet, and Symphony… why not me?"

She shrugged. "I wouldn't worry too much." She paused to contemplate for a minute. "Oh, duh. It's because the Xuri she knew was very different from the uptight, nervous Xuri you are now," she huffed with an edge of teasing sarcasm in her voice.

As much as he hated to admit it, that was probably true.

She gave him a little nudge. "It's alright. Try and relax, okay?"

He sighed. "Okay. I'll try."

Ace had disentangled himself from the dragons' earlier quarrel and now put a paw on Xuri's arm. "Hey, I've got just the thing to distract you. We were talking about expanding our camp because of how many of us there are now."

Surprised, Xuri asked, "Wait, you're letting us stay here?"

"Where else are you supposed to go? It sounds like you've been wandering ever since you got here, according to the others."

With a twinge, he realized that _was _true. "I guess, but I still feel a little guilty. And what about Lurantis? She's the Totem. Everyone else has places to be."

The others had slowly drifted towards their conversation and stood in front of them.

"You really think I want to go back to the jungle after this?" Lurantis asked with a sparkle in her eye. "Of course not! I'd be bored to death!"

Symphony chimed in. "Yeah, I'll totally stay, dude! This is waaay nicer than that big mountain. Uh, no offense, Marrow."

Marrow grinned back, even though Symphony floated on her blind side. "None taken. Bewear loves the greenery here. We'll stay." Bewear nodded in agreement.

It was Avanelle's turn to pipe up, with her paw still wrapped around Marrow's. "I'll stay! I mean, um, Drampa, can we? Please?" she begged to him.

He smiled down at her. "Of course, dear. You've made too many good friends to leave them behind. This is certainly an upgrade from Lanakila, as well. No humans doing construction." Avanelle cheered in excitement.

"This goes without saying," started Skylar, "but I'm staying, too."

Xuri felt moved by the fact that everybody he'd met along this journey was willing to stay with him.

Melanie clapped her paws together loudly. "Amazing! I've got the perfect place for you guys to make a small village of your own."

They all turned, bustling excitedly after Melanie as she walked a few minutes away from their camp before gesturing to a wide space of nearly-cleared land, minus a few small bushes.

"This is where Ace and I started, but we didn't like how big the area was, so we moved a bit farther in. I think it's perfect for you guys."

Everyone cheered in agreement. As they moved about, organizing who would clear out the area and who would gather materials for living spaces, Lurantis grabbed Xuri's arm.

"You ready for this?"

"For what?"

"This is the beginning of our story. All of us! Xeron was just the beginning. We're free now. _We _decide what happens."

She was right. Xeron had lured all of them together with the intent of ending each of them, but they broke free and still stayed together. The story was truly theirs to tell now.

"More ready than I've ever been." He smiled back at her, even if she couldn't see it.

She laughed. "This won't just be a story. It'll be a legend. A tale remembered until the end of time."

"Then let's give it an amazing start, though I doubt we'll be able to top our first story."

Lurantis grinned mischievously. "We'll see about that."

The setting sun illuminated Xuri, Lurantis, Symphony, Skylar, Marrow, Avanelle, Drampa, Bewear, Ace and Melanie as they began writing their next story- the sequel governed by their own hands, not by Xeron's, or his commander, or even the deities above. They weren't just beasts anymore- they were Ultra Beasts now.

Marrow and Avanelle often went exploring, set on becoming a mythical exploration team like the ones Drampa's yarns were sometimes spun around. They became best friends- and maybe even a little more.

And Lurantis and Xuri are the best kind of friends- the ones where you can call each other names one second and be laughing at it the next.

And Xeron?

No matter how diligent Blitz was, something told them they might not have seen the last of him.

But that might be a long, long time in the future. For now, it was time to focus on what was directly in front of them- the horizon.

The horizon of the true Ultra Beasts.


End file.
